iiiii 




,Kior 

ONGWOOD'S 





Class Lt)/5'.ll 

Book 1 7 
G)l)yiiijlu N" - 

COFYKIGIIT UKPOSIT. 



Mary Kingwood's 
School 

A REAL STORY 

Ideally Presented by 

CORINNE JOHNSON 

PRIALIRY TEACHER BROOKVILLE SCHOOLS 

WITH Introduction by 

W. A. BEER 

FORMERLY SUPERINTENDENT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
OF CLARION COUNTY, PA. 




NEW YORK 

A. S. BARNES & COMPANY 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

NOV 5 1906 

« Cooyri^ht Entry 

QUSsdA XXc, NO. 

COPY B. 



fTlO the thousands of Primary 
*■• Teachers who have patiently 


read this story in Teachers Maga- 


zine this book is respectfully dedi- 


cated. 


CoRiNNE Johnson. 



Copyrighted 1906 by 
A. S. BARNES & CO, 



Introduction 

Possibly the most potent motive to good 
teaching is that the teacher see herself teach. 
This can only be done in idea. The teacher 
becomes the observer of an ideal school in 
which she is the ideal teacher and her pupils 
ideal pupils. 

The "I" in Miss Johnson's story is Miss 
Johnson witnessing herself as Miss King- 
wood doing the work of the primary school. 

In my experience as a teacher and as a 
director of teachers I became convinced that 
tliis phase of the teacher's life should be 
emphasized, and as I never had seen a book 
dealino^ with this idealizinoj of the school from 
the standpoint of sympathy, I suggested to 
Miss Johnson that she work it out using her 
own experience as a basis. It had been my 
pleasure to see her teach her first school and 
then six successive successful terms. I had 
studied her intuitions and talked with her 
on the pedagogy involved in her act. She 
iii 



IV Introduction 

looked at me and wondered, so she has said 
in after years, but she continued to grow by 
native power and careful study of good ped- 
agogy. 

There are a few things that I think her 
story shows : 

In its first phase it shows in her geography 
talks the relation of the human to other 
material things as they minister to his animal 
needs — food, clothing, and shelter. Funda- 
mentally that is geography. 

In its second phase her stories show the 
relation of the human to other human beings 
as their respective motives are shown by 
their achievements. Fundamentally that is 
history. 

In its third phase her nature work shows 
the relation of the human to the forces of 
nature, that is natural science in popular 
form. Fundamentally, nature study is nat- 
ural science. 

In the fourth phase her literature work 
shows the relation that the human bears to 
life ; to his own life, to the life of his fellows , 
to the Infinite Life, to all life. This is the 
idealizing phase of her work. Funda- 
mentally this is literature. 

Miss Johnson entered into the recital of 
her experiences with zeal and good judgment. 



Introduction v 

My work was simply to edit, and it has been 
a very helpful experience to me to witness 
a successful worker put the experience of 
almost a decade into the short compass of a 
book that will be as helpful to others as it 
has been to me, and I am sure also to the 
author. 

Of one thing we may feel certain, her ped- 
agogy is sound, for it has stood the test, and 
what has been done ideally by Miss King- 
wood, has been done really by the author 
whom we have so sympathetically followed 
for the past school year. 

W. A. Beer. 



Contents 

I. The First Month .... 8 

II. Second Month 25 

III. The Thanksgiving Month . 35 

IV. The Christmas Month , . 46 
V. Month of Snow and Ice . . 54 

VI. The Birthday Month ... 64 

VII. Blustering March .... 74 

VIII. The Rain Month .... 84 

IX. The Month of Blossoms . 98 

X. The Month of Roses. . .111 
vi 



Preface 

This prefatory note shall be more in the 
nature of a personal explanation concerning 
the preparation of this book than an analysis 
of the pedagogical doctrine it is intended to 
inculcate. 

Early in the autumn of 1904, my friend 
and former superintendent wrote me from 
New York and asked me to put in writing 
my experience as a primary teacher and to 
embody in the story the substance of the 
material used by me in my work with the 
little ones. He had observed my work for 
seven years and expressed faith in my ability 
to put the matter in attractive form. I con- 
sented to attem^pt the w^ork on condition that 
he would outline the work and edit my pro- 
duction so that it would show what he de- 
sired it to show. I had no experience in 
literary work, and while I was ambitious to 
get into this new phase of the work, I feared 
for the result. 

vii 



viii Preface 

In response to my statement of my inabil- 
ity to do the work alone he gave me an out- 
line in the following words: 

" 1. Let us say that every term of school 
should be a model for every other term of 
school. The work done for the children of 
the term of 1904 ought to be in its essentials 
the very same work done for the same grade 
of pupils in 1905. The only difference is in 
the experiences of the children. For in- 
stance, the children of 1904 may never have 
seen a flying machine, while in 1905, the 
county superintendent visits every school in 
the county outside liis own home, in a flying 
machine. In that respect the work would 
change, but essentially a "sail" is a ship on 
the ocean whether propelled by a sheet of 
canvas or a turbine. 

"2. The work done in the school of the 
primary grade should in a vague and indefin- 
ite sense embody the beginnings of all the 
sciences and in a relative measure all of the 
arts. 

"3. The school as an institution for the 
promotion of the arts and sciences must be 
lost sight of in the primary school, and the 
school as an institution for the promotion of 
man must steadfastly be held in mind. 

"4. The end of the school being the 



Preface ix 

growth of the child, the means employed 
must be conducive to the end and not sub- 
versive of it. 

" 5. It follows, then, that the essentials of 
the school in this grade are not that the child 
may reproduce, but that he shall create. 
Reproduction in the true sense, means that 
the child shall be given a pattern experience 
out of the life of the race, and in the measure 
that such pattern experience affects him, he 
must be 'permitted to reproduce it but never 
required to do so. To give him liberty to set 
free the divinity that is within him is a means 
to growth, to require liim to reproduce the 
thought of another is to make him a parrot, 
and in spirit a parrot never grows. 

" 6. To sum it all up, a book to be a guide 
for a primary teacher should set ideals ; (a) of 
S3niipathy — first, of the teacher in sympathy 
with the child, second, of the child in sym- 
pathy with the teacher, presuming that the 
teacher stands for the world to the child. 

(6) The book should set ideals of the 
child's never-resting thought. It is a foolish 
thing to say "you must lead the child to 
think." You can't prevent him from think- 
ing. The book must show the best, the most 
simple, and the most natural thinking of the 
child concerning his environment. 



X Preface 

" (c) The book should show ideals for 
child action, and, incidentally, it should show 
an ideal for form just so far as the form work 
of the grade is presented, which, it seems to 
me, should be incidentally, but from set pur- 
pose. 

" {d) Lastly, the book should show the 
ideal teacher, therefore the book should be 
written in the third person." 

Much of my work up to this time had been 
done intuitively, but with this outline it 
seemed to become more organic and I take 
this opportunity to thank my former super- 
intendent for the outline and for the patience 
he exhibited in editing from month to month 
my work, and for weaving in pedagogical 
suggestions that were often by me overlooked. 
I have asked him to write an " introductory 
chapter," more fully to set forth the prin- 
ciples involved. 

I take this opportunity also to thank Dr. 
Lang, the editor of Teachers Magazine^ for 
his many kind words while the work was 
being done. 

CoRiNNE Johnson. 



Mary Kingwood's School. 



i 



I. 

The First Month. 

jNE brght September morning Miss 
Mary Kingwood hastened toward 
the Longport public school building, 
which was to be her school home for 
the next ten months "The old brick," as 
the children called it, was the place that had, 
in the dreams ever since her election, played 
hide and seek in her busy brain. This 
morning she was in a very interesting state 
of anxiety about the beginning which must 
be made. The school Vv^as reputed to be the 
best in the county in the work of the higher 
grades. It was said to be far above the 
average in the formal work of the inter- 
mediate classes but very little good had been 
said for several years about the work of the 
primary room. 



4 Mary Kingiuood^s School 

Miss Kingwood was not a beginner. She 
had a reputation sufficient to secure her 
election and the promise to the people by the 
school board that "things will be better." 
Very soon after her appointment she ascer- 
tained all the facts available concerning the 
school, and she wisely consulted the super- 
intendent about the new conditions with 
which she was to deal. Later she had sev- 
eral interviews with the principal — several 
seemed to her to be necessary. He had 
opinions. So had she, but at the final inter- 
view she received the assurance that she had 
freedom to follow any plan she deemed wise, 
provided, of course, she kept in mind that 
the principal, the school board, and the 
patrons of the school expected great 'mprove- 
ment in "Number One." The law, as she 
was given to understand it, was, ' The chil- 
dren must come from Number One better 
equipped for the work of Number Two than 
has heretofore been the case." 

But there was a more hopeful agreement 
reached at these interviews. Miss King- 
wood asked to be allowed one half day each 
week to see the work of the other grades. 
When asked why she made such a request 
she replied, " Because I want to have in mind 
the work to be done by my children next 



First Month 5 

term and the next and the next, till they quit 
the school." 

This demand seemed extraordinary to the 
principal, but he agreed to try it for one 
month, saying that he or one of his pupils 
would teach in Number One when Miss 
Kingwood was in the other rooms. She 
left the conference at which tliis agreement 
was reached with very great satisfaction, 
while the more experienced participant had, 
as he afterward said, very grave doubts in 
his mind. 

The experiences with the superintendent, 
the principal, and with a few of the patrons 
she had met were memories to Miss King- 
wood this September morning, that somehow 
seemed to her to have an important influence 
on her work. At every step as she ap- 
proached the building, her foot came to the 
sidewalk more firmly, and before she had 
entered she had resolved — ^what the form of. 
the resolve was need not be set down here — 
but her appearance indicated that she knew 
her power and would not abuse it. She had 
confidence in the principal and expected his 
guidance over difficult places. 

She had come to the school-house early. 
As she entered she met the janitor coming 
out of the school-room that for the next ten 



6 Mary Ktngwood^s School 

months was to be hers. She approached 
him with outstretched hand and a " Good 
morning, Mr. Harvey,*' with an expression 
of good wi 1 and a look of neighborly kind- 
ness that warmed the old man's heart, so 
that he murmured to himself as he passed 
into Number Two, "They told the truth, 
they did, she's all right." 

The teacher was the first to arrive but 
soon the children came. Some skipped in 
with music in voice and action, while others 
stole in quietly as if in fear. They came 
singly, by twos, by groups, till more than 
fifty thronged the not too spacious school- 
room. Miss Kingwood's heart throbbed in 
sympathy with the little ones, and as she 
looked over her school she breathed a mute 
prayer for a bountiful harvest from this as 
yet almost unbroken field of human motive. 

She made a quick inventory of the ex- 
pectancy beaming from the children's eyes. 
How anxious had they been to get a first look 
at the teacher! How she wished that she 
knew the verdict of this most critical of 
juries! But she must wait, for had she not 
yet to reveal the motives surging in her heart 
and urging her to effort ? She must wait. 
So she quietly, very much like a child, moved 
-among the fjhildren as they came, and by 



First Month 7 

word and touch set at rest many an anxious 
inqui y. 

" Would she be hke mamma ? " In a well- 
regulated school this question ought to be 
answered right. Miss Kingwood knew the 
power of touch, and by touch as much as by 
word she answered this question in such a 
way that the little strangers felt here was a 
woman who w^ould love them as mamma 
loved them. It is the act of love by the 
teacher that assures the child that love from 
them will be a welcome offering, and many 
were the pure young lives that brought this 
offering to the new teacher this first morning 
of the term. Love for the pupil is the great 
power in the school, especially in the primary 
school. The child coming for the first time 
to the school to enter upon the experiences of 
the school with peace of mind! A healthful, 
hopeful state! How much it means! And 
ove for mother! Eliminate from the ranks 
any teacher who by word or act so far forgets 
her mission as to lessen the faith of the little 
one in mother. 

To the child entering school mother is the 
ideal woman. Mother is the sweetest, holi- 
est name on earth. Oh, for more implicit 
faith in, and love for the mothers of this 
C^ountry! It is a part of the business of the 



8 Mary Ktngwood's School 

school to enlarge that faith and deepen that 
love. 

This September morning several mothers 
came to the school, as one of them said^ 
*' just to get a look at the new teacher," and 
some came because the ones in whom they 
were most interested were timid and needed 
encouragement. Meeting these mothers was 
a helpful incident for Miss Kingwood. By a 
few words with the mother she got a glimpse 
of the inner life of the child. For this she 
was indeed thankful. And by casual re- 
marks she learned some things of other chil- 
dren ; one always does in school work. 

At length the hour for the real work of the 
school was signaled, the mothers departed, 
and the little ones hurried and scurried 
through the room to get the places which 
each thought suited him or her best. It was 
a short period of trial for there were dis- 
appointments, but the spirit of kindness had 
somehow got abroad and in a little while 
more than half a hundred children sat look- 
ing into the teacher's face, expectant, eager, 
ready for whatever might occur. 

Miss Kingwood had taught, but as she 
met th s assembly new visions passed before 
her, visions of responsibility for unshaped 
human lives. She did not hesitate. Every 



First Month 9 

moment was vital. She promptly moved to 
take the citadel of every little heart throbbing 
so anxiously in her presence. She had lived 
near to nature. She loved nature. Children 
were of nature, and she loved them because 
they were children, more to her than all the 
rocks, trees, b rds, everything. Here she 
differed f om some other worthy teachers I 
have seen work, who loved some children be- 
cause they are "so nice." Miss Kingwood 
loved children because to her the one great 
fact of nature is life, its source, its need, its 
destiny. 

This thought was with her at this hour, 
and as she met the gaze of the children the 
light of her countenance was a smile, not a 
*' made to order shaping of lines and twitch- 
ing of muscles," but a smile that was the 
index of the light of life illumining her face 
so that it shone with such beauty (she was 
not pretty) that every child felt it was real 
and that it would "not wash off." Nearly 
all the little ones smiled back their good will. 

So far not a word had been uttered, but the 
first link in the chain of unity had been 
forged, and without the soul-killing process 
of asking names Miss Kingwood asked, " Do 
you know any songs?" She got the ready 
answer, and when she said: "Would you 



10 Mary Ktngwood^s School 

like to sing ?" she seemed to say to the chil- 
dren, "I am here to let you do your will. 
Only will to do some right thing." And the 
children never thought of the other side of 
the shield. What is the need of showing the 
wrong side, anyway? 

Nearly every child had been to Sunday 
school. After the home, the Sunday school 
is the next great influence toward righteous- 
ness, and sad as it is to say it, it is often the 
first. Of course they wanted to sing. All 
normal children sing. If they don 't sing with 
their voices they do sing with their souls, and 
so they are in unison with those who do sing 
with voice. One little girl, a bom leader, with 
a manner worthy of a queen, said, " Please, 
teacher, may we sing * Precious Jewels'?'* 
Yes, that would be their first song. How the 
eyes sparkled ! How the full hearts leaped in 
the joy of expectation of utterance! How 
eagerly each one waited for the signal and 
the keynote! With equal fullness Miss 
Kingwood gave the answer. That song had 
cheered her on her way many a time before, 
and they sang 

"When He cometh, when He cometh, 

To make up His jewels, 
All the pure ones, all the bright ones, 

His loved and His own. 



First Month 1 1 

Like the stars in the morning, 
His bright crown adorning, 

They shall shine in their beauty, 
Bright gems for His crown." 

When the singing was ended and the chil- 
dren had repeated the sentence, " Little chil- 
dren, love one another," Miss Kingwood 
knew that the beautiful gate of service had 
been opened. Cynics may sneer, and wise 
statesmen shake their heads for fear of too 
much religion in this sort of teaching, but it 
is, after all, the only way to civic righteous- 
ness. 

This introductory exercise gave Miss 
Kingwood an opportunity to talk with the 
children. She moved around among them 
asking them questions, for the purpose of 
learning individual experiences from one and 
another of them so that she might be able to 
"hitch on" new things to these experiences. 
Wise girl, I thought. Incidentally, she 
learned the names of a number of the chil- 
dren and carefully noted them down. The 
work of this period was the first of a con- 
tinued series of informal exercises which 
from day to day were so directed as to reveal 
to her the experiences and motives of every 
child under her care. The knowledge of 
these experiences was treasured up as her 



12 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

most valuable resource, and hour by hour it 
was drawn upon at the proper time and was 
in her hands the means of arousing the most 
intense interest in the minds of the children. 

I noticed that opportunity was given to 
every child in the school at some time to 
state some experience, and the story told by 
one child quickened the imagination of the 
other children, or caused some one to recall 
a like experience, or prompted the teacher 
to tell something that she had seen or of 
which she had read, or perhaps it suggested 
the teaching cf a new song. Be what it may, 
an observing one could easily see that with 
all the excitement and enthusiasm of this 
hour there was a deep-laid plan back of it 
all, simple, it is true, but far-reaching in its 
purpose. Miss Kingwood said one day that 
she had a conviction that a child learns more 
in the first six years of its life than in any 
succeeding six years, and, said she, ** believ- 
ing this, how necessary it is that these ounda- 
tion experiences be set in right relation to 
what is to come after." And again I said, 
*'A wise girl.*' 

I observed also that the teacher improved 
every opportunity to encourage the children, 
as she said, "to utter themselves,'' with pecu- 
liar emphasis on the "selves." It was a 



First Month 13 

delight to her, and I thought to the whole 
school to have a cliild bring to the recitation 
a story of rome particular experience that had 
made good impressions on the child who 
related the experience, and it was a joy to her 
to have a child hold up some bright picture 
which had been found along its pathway 
from early consciousness to the present ex- 
periences of the school. The knowledge of 
these experiences was kept on the lower 
shelf of her brain, because she considered it 
the fundamenta'. means for all the work of 
the term. 

Every morning after the singing, some- 
times a short exercise, sometimes longer, this 
hour of counsel was on. It was the great 
hour of the day. It furnished the material 
and the motive for all the rest of the day's 
work, not the ultimate motive, that was per- 
manent, but the immediate motive was found 
in this important hour. 

It was never a matter of concern to Miss 
Kingwood to find something to talk about. 
One child had a pet at home, another had 
seen a squirrel in a tree-top the day before, 
this one had been to the brook and had seen 
the little fishes swimming in the clear water, 
and that one had some equally interesting 
experience to relate. Every one was eager. 



14 Mary Ktngwood's School 

and some of them insistent, that he or she 
might express that which was urging for 
utterance. And the teacher so wisely di- 
rected this all-inspiring interest that it bore 
no semblance to that interest ( ?) which for- 
merly hung over, and in some schools yet 
abides with, the everlasting story of the cat 
and the rat, whether those in themselves 
interesting creatures be in the hat or on the 
mat, or elsewhere. 

In short, every "general information per- 
iod," as one judge of good schools sneeringly 
called these sessions of "the congress of the 
children," as a more far-sighted one put it, 
was a period of most valuable legislation. 
In this congress hour Miss Kingwood might 
well be counted a child in her simple manner, 
but wisdom in simphcity marked her every 
action. It was an hour of intense interest, 
and every day when this congress was in 
session, the living, urging interest was so 
intense that "mats" and "hats" had no 
place in the deliberations, at least the reports 
and the speeches bore no trace of the influ- 
ence of such inactive objects. 

Miss Kingwood ventured the explanation 
to me that this was because there was too 
much of the real thing in their cat stories and 
rat stories to allow conventional situations 



First Month 15 

to enter into the discussions, and the way she 
said it, led me somehow to feel that she knew 
what she was talking about. She told me 
that once in a formal school she had asked a 
six-year-old boy if he could spell "cat,'* and 
he rephed with just a bit of disgust in his 
manner, " certainly I can, I learned that years 
ago." 

When this term of school of which I am 
writing began, the flowers were in bloom, 
many of the lovely fall varieties. The fruits 
were ripening, and here and there a leaf had 
received the tints which always carry with 
them a tinge of sadness. 

Miss Kingwood one morning told them 
that these tints were wireless messages from 
a very old and respected king called Jack 
Frost. This was only at the beginning of 
the vague talk of sending wireless telegrams 
but it serves to show how this teacher lived 
in the present and hnked the living realities 
with the beautiful imageries ever so dear to 
the human heart. She said that only very 
wise people could read the message in the 
colors of the leaf, but that when one became 
wise he could always find in them the words 
"cold weather is coming," and little Tom 
Baker immediately wrote on his tablet an 



1 6 Mary Kingwood^s School 



6 



order to "Mister Santa Claus," that he 
needed a new sled this winter. 

This letter, coming to the teacher's atten- 
tion, became common property by her writ- 
ing it in large letters, correctly spelled, on the 
blackboard, so that all might see and under- 
stand, even if they could not spell out the 
words. Miss Kingwood told so kindly how 
the child heart uttered its desires to the good 
old saint, and the little ones did not need to 
know the letters, for universal language is 
not confined to Roman script, and every 
child in the room put into this universal 
language a message that went up from the 
leaping heart to the source of every good and 
perfect gift. Paradoxical as it may seem, 
not one of these messages had a trace of Tom 
Baker in it, yet every one of them was all 
Tom Baker. 

Tom himself had a copyright on the letter, 
which he kept ever after among his most 
treasured possessions, but every child grew 
in this hour by eliminating "sled" from the 
equation and substituting "doll" or "hood" 
or some other ideal gift that filled the life 
that created it. 

The teacher's way of putting it was that 
she would rather improve an opportunity to 
draw the child gently away from his desires 



First Month 17 

by putting things in relation as nearly as may 
be, than to set a hard and fast rule that 
December, and not September, is the time to 
teach about Christmas, and that since the 
Christmas lesson is in the December plan, 
there is where it must be taught. "True," 
she said to me one day, "it is somewhat 
easier to give the lesson on corn in the June 
time when the com is growing in the fields, 
but sometimes things don't fit, and I would 
sooner make a cornfield in an old box than 
to spoil a lesson by fixing a special date for 
it. Nature does not give us advance notice 
of our great experiences, and to me it seems 
that the spiritual growth of children must 
come without any pre-arranged plans. Pre- 
arrangement is all right for the multiplica- 
tion table, but multiplication is another thing, 
don't you think .^" And I did think so, 
wouldn't you ? I said to the teacher, "You 
must believe in the new method called nature 
study," and she replied, "What else can a 
child study?" And I thought some more. 
I referred to the ripening fruit. The chil- 
dren brought in apples. The first lesson 
which in any manner took the nature of for- 
mal instruction was about the apple, because 
the teacher preferred to be practical rather 
than poetical. She approached this lesson 



1 8 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

on the presumption that all children know 
something about the things they eat and 
wear, and out of which houses are built, 
"but," said she, "some of these dear little 
ones have not yet been touched by the wand 
of beauty. Some of them know only the 
animal needs, and I must of necessity talk to 
them of food, clothing, and shelter, but by 
and by you will see them climbing the 
heights." 

That was a favorite expression of hers 
when she witnessed their aspirations — 
"Climbing the heights!" To hear her 
speak those words was to be thrilled through 
and through and she said them often to the 
children and somehow they seemed to under- 
stand. Indeed, I believe it was a phrase for 
her to conjure by. 

But the apple, I almost forgot it. It was 
round, red, and smooth. It served for food 
lessons, for a geography lesson, and before 
they were through with it, for a temperance 
lesson, too. Miss Kingwood, in speaking to 
Tom Baker one day, said, "Don't worry 
about strong drink, Tom. Be sure you 
know exactly what Tom Baker is worth and 
you will not have any time to think of hard 
cider. " 

It happened that day that Miss Kingwood 



First Month 1 9 

was standing near Tom's seat, and somehow 
his eager, sparkling eyes were looking deep 
into hers. As she was about to give Tom the 
message, both her hands were brought lov- 
ingly to the sides of the curly head as she 
pressed his rosy cheeks, and by that act 
pressed home to the little heart the worth of 
Tom Baker. Tom got the meaning — rough, 
rollicking Tom, unruly Tom, who knew 
little of kindness, looked into the teacher s 
eyes again, and said, "Not what goes into 
the mouth, but what comes out of the heart, 
is that what you mean. Miss Kingwood ? " 
And as something bright sparkled on the 
teacher's eyelashes, she replied, "That is it, 
Tom, and the beauty of it is that what comes 
out of the heart determines what shall go 
into the mouth. It is the heart, Tom, that I 
was thinking about." 

Tom understood, and so did every other 
child in the room, for had they not already 
learned that these messages were for them 
as well as for Tom ? 

The formal work of the school was not 
neglected, and of course the reading of the 
script on the blackboard was a most impor- 
tant and interesting exercise of every day's 
work. The teacher used the idiom " I see," 
very often, because she said it was the indi- 



20 Mary Kingwood's School 

vidualizing of the child after all, that was the 
work of the school. A long list of names and 
words used for names were learned in con- 
nection with these words, and the forms of 
the nouns, pronouns, and verbs were changed 
according to the various modifications of 
those parts of speech; but no child in that 
happy company ever saw those grimy skel- 
etons labeled "noun," "pronoun," "verb," 
or any of their hideous brood. 

Back in the busy workshop of her brain 
the teacher was shaping plans which she 
knew would bring into the consciousness of 
the little ones the living principles which she 
recognized as "parts of speech," and w^hich 
she knew they would recognize when the 
time for their appearance should come. In 
this language work the one thing always 
present in the ideal child-student is the need 
felt for means to communicate with an absent 
friend. Miss Kingwood held this to be 
fundamental, and to give this feeling of need 
to her pupils she brought them in imagina- 
tion to commune with papa, mamma, baby, 
the birds, and all that myriad of absent 
beings with which the child felt that he held 
fellowship. 

The song, the poem, the story, were ever 
at her call. She felt that the means for 



First Month 21 

growth were largely stored in the songs, 
stories, and poems of long ago These must 
be at the child's command. They were kept 
in books. Miss Kingwood read from books. 
She read well. Her reading inspired the 
children and every one wanted to get for 
himself out of the books the things with 
which she had thrilled them. Oh, how they 
needed to read ! And how soon they learned 
to read! 

One day she told them a story. Oh, she 
often told them stories, that was a part of the 
great plan, but the day to which I refer she 
told them the story of the three bears. Why 
this story? Because Miss Kingwood be- 
lieved that the work of the school is most 
effective when it continues the work of the 
home, of the right kind of a home. Every 
home worthy the name has story-telling of 
some kind along the way, and to continue the 
development begun in the home the teacher 
should know the stories current in the 
homes. So she told the story of the three 
bears because it was a "neighborhood 
story." Nearly every one in the school knew 
the story and could have told it through, but 
as Miss Kingwood told it, how they lived 
through the experiences of the growling papa 



22 Mary Kingwood^s School 

bear, the grumbling mamma bear, and the 
whining baby bear. 

The play element so prominent in the 
child was utilized with this story. This 
element is strong in the child at this early age, 
and the teacher believed in directing force 
rather than in restraining it. Children have 
large powers of imitation. They act well, 
and in order to develop this power Mflss 
Kingwood agreed with the children that the 
story should be acted out by certain ones of 
their number, and she wisely permitted them 
to make choice of certain parts to be taken 
by this child or that; and they, little philos- 
ophers, selected the teacher for a part. 

"The play's the thing," said Hamlet, and 
it is just as certain to reveal the bear as it is 
the king-killer. This bear play was a de- 
light to the children, and they often asked the 
privilege of playing the bear story. This 
experience was a means of taking an inven- 
tory of stock in trade, and the teacher im- 
proved the opportunity many times. Her 
observations were of especial value in the 
succeeding months of the term. After 
acting the story, the children read it, read it 
by the whole sentences without missing a 
word, and this to Miss Kingwood 's way of 
thinking, was a very significant comment on 



First Month 23 

all the "scientific" patent processes of teach- 
ing reading. 

She always sought to create a feeling of 
need for the words and sentences, and some- 
how they always came when needed. Her 
explanation of the ease with which the chil- 
dren learned to read was, "When I need 
certain articles to do a piece of art work, and 
know where to get the articles, I go after 
them. I think that is the way with a child 
learning to read. When she feels that she 
needs words with which to read and knows 
where to find them, she will go after them. I 
believe in getting the child to go after things, 
and we must not forget that she gets words 
from others as well as from the teacher.** 

Thus the month went on. It drew to a 
close. But what a month ! Noon hours and 
recesses were as fruitful as if not more so 
than the hours of the sessions. The teacher 
joined in the plays of the children. They 
learned to know her better through the play, 
and she them. In the games, they gave the 
place of honor and the place of difficulty to 
the teacher, and when the month closed she 
had won the hearts of the children, and she 
felt that by coming in contact with their pure 
lives she had become a nobler viroman and a 
better teacher. 



24 Mary Kingwood's School 

I observed also that her weekly visits to 
the other rooms were not without effect. 
She assumed no air of superiority. She met 
the other teachers as a learner and never as 
a critic. They were friends. 



11. 

Second Month. 



T""^ HE chill and dreary rains of autumn 
had no depressing effect on Miss 
J Kingwood s enthusiasm. During the 
month just closed she had explored new fields 
and found new treasures. What a month! 
Yes, she had met some disappointments, but 
her love for children as a collective represen- 
tation of human growth and human possibil- 
ity had differentiated into love for individual 
children, and thus her love for the child was 
intensified, and so was her love for her work. 
In the future, as she peered into it, she saw 
herself a successful teacher. And in her 
visions she saw the children a potent factor 
in her professional growth. She felt at the 
threshold of this month that the love and 
sympathy of the pupil is the strength and 
hope of the teacher. 

It happened that this Monday morning 
was the first day of the month, and it seemed 
25 



26 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

to Miss Kingwood that a review of Septem- 
ber's work was an appropriate beginning for 
October. Indeed, the entire day was spent 
recalhng the growing experience of the past 
month. The best story was told again. 
The favorite games were played once more. 
The most helpful songs were sung for the 
good they had done, and everything that 
could in any way be made the basis for en- 
larging the lives of the children was carefully 
talked over by teacher and pupil. Miss 
Kingwood led in the work of suggestion and 
question, but she was only one of the en- 
thusiastic company. During the day she 
told several new stories for further use. 
These she had selected to the end that they 
might stand in relation to the work that had 
been done and thus stimulate inquiry and 
intensify interest. Her chief work for the day, 
however, was to take careful notice of the 
suggestions of the children, not as a school, 
but she made special note of the trend of 
thought of each child. She said, " To know 
the impressions received by each child is my 
greatest desire." 

Her greeting to the pupils was, "Last 
week we said 'good-bye' to Septem.ber, and 
now we are beginning a new month. Who 
can tell me its name ? " Of course a number 



Second Month 27 

knew, and she permitted all who knew to 
answer in concert at her signal. " October" 
rang out clear and positive from almost every 
one in the room. The fact that so many at 
this early age know the names of the months 
suggests that children in general know a 
great deal more concerning the things within 
their environment than teachers recognize. 
In questioning children about common 
things Miss Kingwood gave them a chance 
to *' utter themselves," and in these exercises 
she revealed the beauty of the child's un- 
conscious answers to questions witiiin his 
experience. He comes to this service, not 
with fear and trembhng lest he may give 
the wrong answer — the answer is nothing — 
but with joy, the joy arising from growth, 
from enlarging hfe because of the power 
within himself to grow. 

Miss Kingwood regarded the formal work 
of the day as a matter never to be neglected, 
and she led the children to express them- 
selves in complete sentences with the right 
inflections of verbs, pronouns, and adjectives 
as well as the best words to use. The an- 
swers to questions were always put into 
complete sentences before the exercise was 
finished, so the "favored" child was indi- 
cated by the teacher's quietly saying, " Clara 



28 3/^2rv K2fic^<i'0(>J'^' ^>:'::rjl 

may tell,'* and Clara promptlv responded, 
"*Miss Kingwood, this is October.** The 
language work is the most important work 
erf the school on the form side, and carefully, 
by significant look and artless inquiry, she 
led them to use right language. 

Her influence over the bttle ones reminded 
me of the stoiy of another teacher and a 
little boy naturally disposed to be rough and 
to play the rowdy. After the boy had been 
in school a short time his mother noticed 
that he was more thoughtful and quiet and 
she asked, "Does your teacher teach re^ 
finement. pohteness.- What does she do?" 
The little fellow replied. "^Why, she just 
walks around, talks with us, and we feel 
polite," Ah, that is the mystic charm after 
all! It is the way the teacher expresses her- 
self that leads the children to the same^ 

"October!** What a myriad of lessons 
grew out of this one word: Observing the 
interest the child has in his home life Miss 
En^wood kept the home before them in such 
a manner as to please them greatly. One 
morning she asked, "What was mamma 
doing when you came to school?" How 
an3dous they were to tell I Of course. 
Tn^Tiima was canning fruit, as many of the 
children remembered, so that they might 



Second Month 29 

have ** something nice to eat during the long 
winter niontlis." Another mamma was 
making clothes for the children, and another 
was helping papa pick apples to put in the 
cellar. 

"What did you see on your way to school ?" 
*' What birds did you notice as you came to 
school?" *' Were there many ?" This ques- 
tion about the birds aroused little Paul 
Thomas, and with eyes sparkling and voice 
eager, he said, in a tone which meant he was 
surprised to hear her ask the question, *' WTiy, 
Miss Kingwood, the birds have all gone to 
the South, so they would not get frozen this 
winter." Then he told how he had watched 
the birds gathering and getting ready for 
their long flight. From Paul's conversation 
there arose a long discussion about which 
birds go south, why they go, and when they 
would return. One said they went away so 
that they could get food, and another said 
they went because they could not bear the 
cold. Frank Jones said that bobolinks and 
swallows go first, and after talking the mat- 
ter over the children concluded that birds 
that hve on seeds and winter berries stay 
with us all winter. 

One day, not long after, little Paul came 
with a list of the names of birds, poorly writ- 



30 Mary Kingwood's School 

ten it was, but to him a great text-book on 
ornithology, and Miss Kingwood used it to 
the ed fication of the others, and under the 
inspiration of the honor Paul grew. He had 
named only those Avhich stay with us, and 
thus he unconsciously took a long step into 
the mysteries of natural science. Where 
there is a leader there are followers, and many 
of the school wanted to make a list. They 
did make one. They started the science 
way. Not book scientists. No, for they 
all agreed that they would watch to see which 
birds would be the last to go south. 

The children as they came into the room 
in the morning always gathered around Miss 
Kingwood 's desk for a morning talk before 
school. She said that these confidences 
between her and her pupils before the open- 
ing of school and at recess often suggested 
to her the line of work for the day, and during 
these periods she was able to outline the for- 
mal work of the recitation periods. But 
more than this, in these happy moments she 
was finding the royal road into the affections 
of her pupils. She was thus becoming one 
of them. 

In studying her work and the children 
Miss Kingwood was delighted when she 
found how nature appeals to the impressive 



Second Month 31 

and responsive nature of the child. Her 
nature work developed more fully in the 
study of seeds, grains, fruits, leaves, and 
birds, but the autumn rains, the chill winds, 
— a prophecy of winter — and the occasional 
flurry of snow made rich contribution to the 
abundant supply. She recognized that noth- 
ing can better serve to unify the work of the 
primary school than the observation of the 
natural phenomena which fall within the 
field of the child's experience — this phe- 
nomena observation is commonly called 
*' nature study," without a comprehension 
of the meaning of the term. Miss King- 
wood had no large writ "Nature Study" 
labels on her blackboard, but the force and 
value of the process made philosophers of 
her pupils, philosophers that caught a 
glimpse of the meaning of God and immor- 
tality, while learning the sublime art of 
making bread. 

In the collection of seeds many were 
brought in fresh from the fruit, and ways of 
drying them were devised so that hey could 
be arranged to be kept. The principal 
caught the meaning and the value of the 
work going on, and promptly supplied small 
bottles in which to keep the seeds. 

The topics of interest concerning seeds 



32 Mary Kiriff^wood' \ ScJiool 

wen; llicir foriri, size, color, use, srcd-pods, 
or (;ra<ll('S, rricuus oF traiisporlalion, iu\i\ \mr- 
po.se. ^i'hey talked of lh(; wings, hooks, and 
sails. They lold liow ihvy were scallcin^d 
by wind, watc^r, Ixjisf , and man. The seed 
of lh(t cljestnut. in ils l)urr was a great de- 
liglil, an<l 1)11 rr, shell, .'irid fh^sh of the; nut 
were eagerly o[)serv(;d and fully discussed. 
'I'his study was inarkcd with great enthu- 
siasm. 

l'h(! beautiful autumn leaves were brought 
in and the t;jsk was to find as rriany varietic^s 
as [lOssibKr. To <h(?er them in th<;ir work 
Miss Kingwood read to ihcin ** October," 
l)y Helen Hunt Jackson. I'his day she 
b(;gan her lesson by saying, " l>o you know 
there are artists who paint word [)ictures just 
as beautiful and wond(;rful as those painted 
with brush and colors ? Whil<; 1 read, you 
may (lose your eyes and S(^(; the [)ictures." 
How I wish every teacher <-ould have heard 
lier read that ])oem! 

They saw the dying golden-rod, they 
smelled the fragrant grajx's, tlu^y could see 
the chestnuts falling, and hear thcir«. Then 
they took their p(Micils and bnislies and 
paints and mad(; the picture of what they 
saw, and witlumt any lu'sitancy regarding 
the color of the leaves, apy)les, and grapes. 



Second Month 33 

Judging from IIh'sc piclnrcs, Miss Kingwootl 

<-()n(:lu(iiMl thai the Oclohor color is nd, and 

she said, "Mother Nature dip})ed many 

times into the red [)aint pot to paint piclurcH 

for y<^)H." 

'J'iie re(J ii^aves and the; yellow ones were 

pressed and then mounted and the pupils 

wer<' filKtd with ()< tolxr ;Hid its beauties, and 

through these experiemcs had looked 

through Nature up to Nature's (iod. 'I'hey 

had in a sense felt the poet's meaninj^ when 

he sang: 

'•All are parlH of on<; stupendous whole, 
WhoBe body Nature is and (Jod the houI." 

In eonneetion witfi these lessons Miss 
KingwcHxl taught the children an autumn 
song, "Sweet Summer's (iouv Away."* 
'I'his increased llu; inlc^rest. Next she gave 
them the str>ry **S<'edlings on tlu^ Wing."']' 

She had mjide it a rule of her lifc^ to try to 
s(^(* something hejiutiful evt^ry day, and it was 
easily ke[)t in this glorious month of October, 
wh(;n "earth's crammed with heaven," and 
sh<; had great opymrtunity to clo something 
for somebody every day. She also noticed 
how the little children wctc putting into 

♦WordH \}y Allinj^ham, fronn Fountain Song 
Book, A. Fluna^^an ()<>., PublisFw^rH. 

I From Cat TailH and Other Tales. 



34 Mary Ktngwood^s School 

practice the verse they had learned, " Little 
children, love one another," for they seemed 
to derive great pleasure from doing little acts 
of kindness every day; little acts, we say, but 
as great in purpose as the martyrdom of 
Stephen or the hberation of the slaves, only 
less in their field of influence. 

Miss Kingwood's visits to the different 
rooms proved a helpful experience to her. 
One day when she went to Room Number 
Two, she was very much impressed by the at- 
titude of the teacher. She was one among her 
children. Her enthusiasm in the work was un- 
consciously communicated to all who came 
in touch ^vith her, and Miss Kingwood left 
her presence ^vith a fixed determination to 
still greater effort. 




III. 
The Thanksgiving Month. 

jITH eager faces and with voices ring- 
ing with exclamations of delight, the 
children gathered around their teach- 
er on a bright cold Friday morning in Novem- 
ber. Snow had fallen and they felt the joy of 
a bright, winter's day. Where will you find a 
child with sound body who is not happy with 
the first snowfall ? These pupils of Miss King- 
wood came into her presence with overflowing 
hearts, and she remembered what the Book 
and the poets had said about snow as an 
emblem of innocence and purity. She had 
them leam a new song that morning about 
the "Beautiful Snow," and as soon as they 
had sung she permitted one of the pupils to 
find the verse about washing to be whiter 
than snow. Then she impressively read a 
number of verses from the psalm from which 
it was taken. 

35 



36 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

At noon the sun had come out, and as 
little Ben Parker said, carried some of the 
snow up to the stars and some of it got away 
to fill the streams before ice would come. 
The snow was gone, but its mission had been 
fulfilled. Instead of the bluster and flurry 
of the early morning, the afternoon sparkled 
with sunbeams and Miss Kingwood thought 
it would be best to improve the perfect day 
by going to the woods with the children, as 
this might be their last opportunity till spring 
should come again. 

When she asked, "How many would like 
to take a walk ?" they with one voice asked, 
" Oh, Miss Kingwood, may we go to the 
woods ?" 

They went, and what a day it was ! What 
a walk! They discovered secrets of nature 
that surprised even the teacher. The trees 
were almost leafless, but here and there a 
green pine stood framed in with the lighter- 
colored leafless trees making for the keen 
eyes the most delightful picture visions. 
The sky was a beautiful grey, as November 
skies usually are, but every child was happy. 
They saw only the bright side of the day. 
What a wonderful thing is the child heart ! 

And how they talked — talked of the leaves 
falling, the flowers dying, the preparation for 



The Thanksgiving Month 37 

winter, the fallen leaves forming a coverlet 
for the seeds, the food stored away for in- 
sects, animals, and man, and Miss Kingwood 
reminded them that nature seemed to be 
preparing for a rest. What lessons were 
learned! Stimulated by their environment 
one of the children asked if they could not 
play " 'Come, little leaves, 'said the Wind one 
day," and as this was a favorite game they 
all joined in the request for it. That was a 
royal rehearsal that afternoon. They caught 
the spirit of the time, and their teacher said 
she was sure she saw them grow while en- 
gaged 71 it. 

During the month Miss Kingwood visited 
several other rooms in the building and came 
away from them with encouragement and 
new zeal. She noticed one teacher in par- 
ticular who made no effort to turn out a 
number of students exactly ahke, but with a 
most inspiring disregard for conventionali- 
ties she allowed the greatest freedom in the 
way of doing and saying things. Miss King- 
wood took particular note of this, for she 
was impressed with the independence and 
clearness of expression of many of this 
teacher's class, and she said, "Here is one 
giving her life that these may have more 
abundant life," and she went out of her 



38 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

presence inspired. While she was in this 
room they were having a lesson in literature, 
and under the magic touch of the teacher the 
children seemed to be inspired; and true 
teaching inspires all beholders. Miss 
Kingwood felt the charm of a noble spirit in 
tune with the poet's holy vision and she re- 
turned to her own little flock with a halo of 
glory around her purpose which to her was 
life, for with her to purpose a line of school 
work was to do that work. It is true that 
the children in school appreciate much that 
seems beyond their understanding, but in 
literature the heart feels even if the intellect 
may not reveal the line of life on which the 
story hangs. 

Out of this room on tliis particular day 
Miss Kingwood came with conviction that 
children may memorize poems the meaning 
of which may not be explained to them, and 
thenceforth the nobler stanzas of great poems 
found their way into the child mind along 
with the simpler rhymes and plainer tales. 

A few days after this visit she brought into 
the room a picture of Eugene Field, the chil- 
dren's poet, and placed it where all the chil- 
dren could see it. She then asked if any of 
them knew whose picture she had brought 
for them, and as usual all wanted to tell, at 



The Thanksgiving Month 39 

least each one knew some one that he thought 
it looked like, or that looked like the picture. 
A number of them said, '*It is Professor 
Brown." Now Professor Brown was the 
principal, and the ideal man in the estima- 
tion of many of the cliildren, if not of all. 
Strange, how a good teacher takes the place 
of all others, even of father, in the mind of 
the child in school. But Professor Brown 
was the one man they knew, really knew, 
outside of their homes. Once ISIiss King- 
wood told me that she was sure the teacher, 
not only in school work, but in every way, 
is the model by which the child creates his 
ideal, and that children are influenced more 
than we think, by the physical appearance 
of the teacher. 

To prove her statement she used tliis inci- 
dent. It happened one day that Miss King- 
wood wore a black guard on her watch, and 
one of her pupils when he went home from 
school that evening and was greeted kindly 
by his mother, as was her habit, noticed that 
she wore a gold chain on her watch. Johnny 
looked at her for a few moments and then 
asked, "Mamma, why don't you w^ear a 
black string on your watch like Miss King- 
wood does ?" 

1 wish that every teacher might realize the 



40 Mary Kingwoocl's School 

influence she has in the Hves of the httle ones 
committed to her care. If we might see the 
shores to which the waves may reach, how 
much truer teachers we would be. 

But to go back to our lesson — she told 
them it was the portrait of a good man who 
had a little boy of his own, and who loved all 
little children. Ilis name was Eugene Field, 
she said, and then she told them stories of 
his life in such a way that made the children 
feel that Field had loved them. She laid 
particular stress on the fact that he was ready 
at any time to lay aside his work that he 
might have an opportunity to tell them 
stories, to sing them (juaint luUabys, or to 
calm a children's quarrel. She told them 
how he always bought toys of some kindt 
a drum, a pop-gun, a dolly, a boat, or candy 
to take to his own children, or for some little 
one he perchance might meet. She told 
them that it was said of Mr. Field that at one 
time he had gathered together twenty-six 
dolls and had them ready for any who might 
be without a doll, and that his great pleasure 
was to bring pleasure to the one to whom a 
doll was given. 

And then to my surprise she sat down 
among the little ones and talked on with 
them about Eugene Field and his verses. 



The Thanksgiving Montli 41 

She said his poems were filled with good 
things, the things that children like best, and 
that they had the true child heart, "and," 
said she, "grown up people all over the land 
grew to love him just as the children did, and 
when he was alive they wanted to hear his 
verses from his own mouth because he could 
read and tell them better than any one else." 

"One time," she continued, "he took his 
little boys to a town not far distant where he 
was to give a reading that evening. During 
the entire time that he was reading for the 
people these two little boys sat on the front 
seat and with eyes and mouth wide open 
listened to every word their father uttered. 
When the meeting was over and they had 
gone to the home of a friend, where they were 
to spend the night, Mr. Field said to his boys, 
*Well, boys, how did papa do to-night?* 
The boys quickly replied, 'Oh, papa, you 
never did better in your life. * This pleased 
the great man and he said it was the greatest 
compliment he had ever received. I think 
it was a great tribute from a six-year-old 
boy." 

After Miss Kingwood had talked in this 
way for some time to the children, and they 
seemed to realize that Mr. Field was their 
friend, too, she read for them "Little Boy 



42 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

Blue,*' and then told them that if they had 
gone to Mr. Field's home while he was alive 
they would have seen the little toys covered 
with dust just where ^Ir. Field's little boy 
had placed them the night before the angel 
came for him. One little girl in the class 
who read and memorized poems in a re- 
markable manner said, "Miss Kingwood, 
Mr. Field wrote * Little Boy Blue ' after his 
own little boy had died," and noting her 
intense interest in the matter she asked how 
much of it she knew. The little girl replied 
that she knew it all, and Miss Kingwood 
asked her to repeat it. With voice eloquent 
with emotion, she began : 

The little toy dog is covered with dust, 
But sturdy and stanch he stands, 

And the little toy soldier is red with rust, 
And his musket moulds in his hands. 

That was an elocutionary entertainment 
worthy the greatest of audiences. As the 
child went along not missing a word or 
sound, with her heart throbbing and an ex- 
pression of something more than of this 
earth on her face, the school was impressively 
silent, but the light in the eyes of the children 
showed that they were living through the 
story with the reader. 

Following up the interest aroused in this 



The Thanksgiving Month 43 

kind of literature, Miss Kingwood in a few 

days gave the children that most beautiful 

poem "The Dutch Lullaby," and told them 

it was one of the most nearly perfect poems 

ever written, and as she read it the children 

seemed to float away 

Over a river of crystal light 
Into a sea of dew. 

These poems always brought delight to the 
children and space will not permit even a 
reference to the many, many lessons inci- 
dentally learned while doing this work. 
Miss Kingwood found, as every earnest 
teacher will find, that time was all too short 
to do what she felt ought to be done with this 
phase of her work. 

Another day she took up the story of the 
first Thanksgiving, and I was astonished at 
the geography and history work these little 
ones did. I noticed that on special occasions 
there was a great deal of formal work, and so 
it was with this Thanksgiving lesson, but 
these wise little tots caught the spirit of the 
true thankfulness of doing for others and 
in giving to others, and they took especial 
delight in the lines, 

'Tis loving and giving 

That makes life worth while. 
'Tis loving and giving 
That makes life a song. 



44 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

And this sentiment seemed to be their 
motto, the guiding star in their work. 

This lesson on thankfulness was brought 
to a close the day before Thanksgiving, at 
which time the children had a literary pro- 
gram, and every one in the school took part. 
The parents were invited to come in. The 
children strung grains of pop corn, brought 
fruit, and every one was anxious to help 
decorate the school-room, for mamma and 
papa were coming to-morrow. A huge 
"Jack-o'-lantern" was placed in each win- 
dow, the curtains were drawn, the lanterns 
lighted, and every one was so full of joy and 
entered into the occasion with heart and 
soul so full of purpose that there was no 
chance for failure. The morrow came and 
with it the children and their parents with 
baskets of supplies. These were set around 
the platform while the exercises went on, 
and one could see here and there peeping 
from under covers, such articles as potatoes, 
apples, bread, meat, and all sorts of food. 
After the program was completed, Miss 
Kingwood spoke a few words and the sup- 
plies were taken by the grown people to the 
homes of those who were not favored with 
plenty of food for the next day's dinner. 
MBny of the parents tarried to talk of Susi9, 



TJie Thanksgiving Month 45 

or Jennie, or John, and from this brief con- 
ference with these earnest mothers Miss 
Kingwood gained great help for the days yet 
to come. 

As the patrons left the building on this 
occasion they remarked one to the other, 
" They were right, she is different from other 
teachers we have had." And from their 
words of encouragement Miss Kingwood 
concluded that her work so far had not been 
in vain. She felt that she was getting ac- 
quainted and that a bond of sympathy be- 
tween herself and the parents as well as the 
children had been established, and that as 
the years went on it would not be broken. 

Her*s was a high resolve that day to live 
worthy of her opportunity and to bring to 
these little ones the riches of knowledge 
through the riches of love and devotion to 
life and life's enlargement through the means 
afforded by Nature and Nature's God. 



IV. 

The Christmas Month. 

mHE Thanksgiving season to which the 
children had looked forward with such 
eagerness had come and gone. But 
the interest did not abate, because Miss 
Kings wood always had some new vision, and 
she was so skilful in drawing aside the veil 
that the glimpse thus afforded became a 
mighty power in urging the little ones into 
exploration of the new-found realms of 
thought and fancy. 

With the December days she felt new 
responsibihties. The whole silent world 
seemed a veritable fairy-land of beauty, and 
this in itself was an inspiration to Miss King- 
wood, but while the external environment 
had its influence, the presence of the children 
was her great source of strength. 

In spite of the drifts of snow and the biting 
zero weather, almost every child was present 
every day. The teacher and her pupils by 
46 



The Christmas Month 47 

this time had become such fast friends that if 
one were absent it seemed as if one instru- 
ment out of a great orchestra were silent. 
They had reached that point at which each 
seemed to Hve for the other. One mother 
said, "Miss Kingwood, my Httle boy just 
loves you." Miss Kingwood felt that it was 
not so much what she could teach, as what 
she could do in suggestion, that would enable 
the children to create for themselves ideals. 
She believed that the child must himself set 
free the divinity that is within him, and to 
that end she planned this Christmas lesson. 

On these winter days the warmth and 
cheer of the school-room was in marked con- 
trast with the cold and storm without, and it 
in fact did service in the work on hand. 
Then there were days when the calmness of 
the weather and the whiteness of the snow 
ctime to her aid. She marshaled all these 
lorces into her service. The children wanted 
to sing. Mary Knight had heard "Tiny 
Little Snow Flakes," and others came to 
know of it. They wanted to sing it and i* 
was but a short time till all knew both words 
and melody. 

They talked of the snow, uses of the snow, 
winter sports, of the little people of the North. 
They learned about the Eskimo, the Lap- 



4^ Mary Ktngwood's School 

lander, the reindeer, the arctic dogs, and 
other animals of the far North. Miss King- 
wood found this a great season for nature 
study. And, in speaking of the richness of 
these experiences, she said, "After all, this is 
the only way.*' I asked her what she meant, 
and she replied, "Why, these unstudied 
lessons in nature, these unbidden opportuni- 
ties for investigation which march in legions 
before you when you go to seek the better 
life. I look for facts that will enable the 
children to build air castles, in the true sense, 
and nature and the spirit bring facts, facts, 
facts, all in relation." The joy of the school 
work is in seeing these relations." 

Following along with experiences of snow 
and storm, the fuel and food and home com- 
forts, they came to the place for the story. 
Miss Kingwood never said, "to-morrow we 
shall have a story," but when the time came 
the story was in waiting, and was given in 
such a way that it accomplished what it was 
intended to accomplish. On the day I have 
in mind she read to them Hawthorne's "The 
Snow Image." No one can know how these 
children sympathized with the little snow 
sister, and how they lived through the story 
as with inspiring voice the teacher read. 

The Christmas spirit was everywhere. 



The Christmas Month 49 

The Christmas atmosphere pervaded the 
work of the entire month. The desire of 
Miss Kingwood was that the happiness of 
the children should be unlimited at this 
Christmastide. Her judicious leading re- 
vealed the joyous, trustful, unconscious-of- 
self , the affectionate child-nature, which is the 
best semblance of what might be on earth. 
The teacher's part in keeping that pure 
nature of the child a bit of heaven, we might 
say, is a sacred trust, and Miss Kingwood 
realized that the Christmas season is espe- 
cially adapted to cultivate the joyousness of 
childhood. 

Of course, the children wanted to talk 
about Santa Claus. Who ever heard of a 
Christmas without a Santa Claus ? The 
children wrote letters to "Mr. Santa Claus,'* 
and made known to the dear old Saint their 
wants. Tom Baker's joy was full when it 
came to this, for ever since the day he had 
written for a sled, Christmas and the sled 
had been uppermost in his mind. Some 
parents were heard to say, *' There is nothing 
in it," and one asked his child, "Did Miss 
Kingwood say there is a Santa Claus ? ' ' 
Oh, if we could but educate the parents who 
do not understand, we would offer the chil- 
dren the means for more abundant life. 



50 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

Miss Kingwood spoke truly when she said, 
"Yes, I beHeve in Santa Claus, a real, gen- 
uine one, overflowing with Christnaas love 
and good cheer. He typifies Christmas love, 
or that love which prompts us to make others 
happy." To her it seemed only a step from 
the Thanksgiving lesson of gratefulness for 
the things of earth to the gift of the Christ 
Child, so from the first day of the month 
till Christmas Eve there was constant study 
of things in relation to this, the greatest event 
of all history. Especially helpful were the 
periods devoted to the study of the pictures 
of Jesus as presented in copies from the 
world's great masterpieces, and wonderful 
strength was gained by appropriate poems, 
such as "Christmas Bells," " 'Twas the 
Night Before Christmas," and "The First 
Christmas." 

With the children. Miss Kingwood painted 
a picture, beginning with the nature thought 
of the meadow, the sheep, the shepherd, the 
hills around the little Judean town, and, as 
the picture grew, it took definite shape for 
the background of the " Coming of the Christ 
Child." Then when the advent was laid 
before their vision the picture was complete. 
Then came the sweet story of the " Babe of 
Bethlehem." It was given to the children 



The Christmas Month 51 

in such a way as to carry them through from 
His coming to His departure, and left in 
their Hves the outhne for a motive which was 
designed to hft them into higher and higher 
phases of Hving. 

Passing from the historic recital, Miss 
Kingwood asked, " Shall we make gifts ? ' ' 
The hearty response was, "Oh, yes, let us 
give gifts, too." So Miss Kingwood prom- 
ised them that before long they might make 
presents for mother and father. God have 
pity on the child who knows not the love of 
mother or father! But such a child adapts 
itself to conditions and selects some one on 
whom to bestow its love. The time for work 
came. 

The children were overjoyed at the 
thought of making gifts and of surprising 
their parents. Even careless Paul took ex- 
tra pains with his writing, and Sara worked 
doubly hard with her numbers. So they all 
went to work. The busy little fingers fairly 
flew. Miss Kingwood knew she had a task 
of vast magnitude, but when she looked into 
the faces of the children she received inspira- 
tion for the work, and the gifts were soon 
finished. They made raphia napkin rings 
tied with dainty ribbon for mother, and a 
blotter shaped like a stocking for father. It 



52 Mary Ktngwood's School 

was "fun" they said, this cutting and work- 
ing for others, and when the work was com- 
pleted many httle hearts throbbed with un- 
utterable joy. Small as the gifts were, the 
experience meant so much to the children 
and their parents. They had learned the 
beautiful lesson from 

FLOWER AND WEED. 

Unto our Lady's altar 

Two little children came; 
High through the painted casement 

The sun shone like a flame; 
Outside the birds were singing, 

The day was nearly gone, 
And there like frozen music, 
. Our Mother's statue shone. 

One bore the rarest roses 

Culled from the hot-house store, 
And one some tiny posies, — 

Just common weeds, no more. 
And when the gorgeous blossoms 

Shone in a rosy drift, 
Warm from his tired fingers, 

The poor child laid his gift. 

That night a radiant vision 

Came down from angel-land; 
Our Lady smiled upon him. 

And the weeds were in her hand; 
And he knew then not the offering 

Of treasures rare and fine, 
But the love he gave her with it 

Had made his gift divine. 

-"Selected. 



The Christmas Month 53 

The Christmas thought was further em- 
phasized by having a Christmas tree, and the 
joyous occasion was fully rounded out by 
songs, stories, and poems, and as these little 
voices sang their glad Christmas anthem 
it seemed sweeter to Miss Kingwood and the 
many mothers present than their conception 
of that other song chanted over Judea's hills, 
and above the plains of Bethlehem, nearly 
two thousand years ago. 

At the close of this day of special exercises, 
the teacher wished them a Merry Christmas 
and with a cheery "Good-bye," she was off 
for her holiday vacation with her mother, 
and whether her pupils went to homes where 
Christmas presents were heaped high on 
Christmas morning or to homes where 
Christmas presents were meager and rare, 
they went with memories and inspirations 
that made for better life in the days to come. 

They had from the efforts of their teacher 
been able to obtain that v/hich is better than 
any material gift — the Christmas spirit. 




V. 
Month of Snow and Ice. 

|HEN Miss Kingwood walked towards 
the "old brick" the first morning 
after the Christmas vacation, she 
went not with fear and trembling, as she had 
gone on that first September morning, but 
with her heart full of joy that she was to meet 
again the little ones whom she had learned to 
love so dearly, and who had become so great a 
factor in her life. She greeted the children 
with her cheery "Good morning, children," 
and they, with eyes fairly dancing had given 
back " Good morning. Miss Kingwood, "in a 
tone that showed that their hearts also were 
full. She felt that this was a happy moment. 
Each child was anxious to show to the 
teacher some gift or to tell about what he had 
received and what he had given, and she, 
with her penetrating vision, observed that 
the joy of giving was to them greater than 
the joy of receiving. But how unconscious 
54 



Month of Snow and Ice 55 

they were of this growth into better living! 

The Christmas gifts were the source of 
abundant lessons for the entire forenoon, and 
around them were woven stories of how this 
one or that one had enjoyed the Christ- 
mas vacation. It was a sort of experience 
meeting, and together they lived through 
the experiences of the respective members 
of the little flock, and by this communion 
they gathered power to enter upon the re- 
maining weeks of the term. 

During the weeks following Christmas the 
heavens were full of glory, as one of the boys 
put it when he noticed the elements in their 
fury. The driving clouds, the howling wind, 
the snow-covered earth all contributed 
matchless material for observation and for 
discussion, and when the children came in 
after the New Year holiday Miss Kingwood 
centered her work around the topics snow, 
ice, frost, stars, winter clothing, winter food 
for man and animal, and habits of animals. 
In short, their work was science of the real 
sort, supported by literature and song in 
harmony with the environment. 

It was a glorious month. Miss Kingwood 
told the story of the Star of Bethlehem and 
the Wise Men from the East, because she 
said this great theme not only gave vital life 



56 Mary Kingwood^s School 

and interest to the work, but it naturally 
prompted the children to ask about the stars 
in the firmament, and she was thus given 
opportunity to teach certain facts about the 
solar system, the stars, the seasons. In 
pursuing this line of work, she discovered 
that the observations of the children were 
wonderful and that with their mythological 
tales they had really acquired a great deal of 
scientific knowledge. She noted also the 
great joy that came to them from observation, 
and she again wrote down in her " observa- 
tions," "Hitch on to the child's experience 
if you would lead him with pleasure into un- 
known fields," and it was into the unknown 
fields of knowledge and life that she felt they 
must ever go. Sympathy with all that is 
true, and sympathy with all fife, was her 
sheet anchor, and so, as they looked at the 
stars at night, they resolved to come to school 
next day with questions and opinions about 
them. 

One little girl, in her eagerness to express 
her conclusions said, " Oh, Miss Kingwood, 
the stars are little suns." This was a wel- 
come proposition to Miss Kingwood. She 
wanted them to express conclusions in an 
unconscious manner, possibly I should say 
without being self-conscious, or with the fear 



Month of Snow and Ice 57 

that they might make a mistake. She 
wanted the freedom bom of conviction, of 
knowledge, and again she made an "obser- 
vation," that if the pupils in the higher 
grades could be kept free in their expression, 
what a school one might have with young 
men and young women who would do the 
right thing, both in thought and action, 
unconsciously. This unconscious expression 
is originality in its truest sense, whether it be 
giving out knowledge gained from the ex- 
perience of another or from our own ex- 
perience. In such expression truth comes 
at fever heat from the hfe that utters it, 
because it has become a part of that life. 
This manner of teaching, said she, would 
make a difference in our public schools, yes, 
and a difference in the men and women of 
the next generation. 

With a definite purpose she took up the 
"points" on the stars and wanted to know 
what they indicated, what they are for. John 
Wallace said, "They give us light," another 
said, ** They show us the way to go." Among 
a multitude of answers these two were taken 
as a basis of further work. "Light and 
guidance ' ' was the lesson she meant to teach, 
and poem, song, and story were brought in 
to make the conclusions definite, relative to 



58 Mary Ktngiuood^s School 

certain simple facts in astronomy and navi- 
gation. They talked of the "Dipper,*' or 
"Great Bear," the "Little Bear," the 
"Milky Way," and many other of the con- 
stellations that parents and interested friends 
told them about and pointed out to them, 
and soon the whole school could point out 
many of the principal ones. Then they 
wanted to play the Bear story and as one of 
the boys said, " We put it on again, and this 
time it was played better than ever*' — wider 
experience enriches life. 

The children's will was here given full 
rein. They had grown. So Miss Kingwood 
began to lead them into constructive work 
and they drew stars on their slates and tab- 
lets, cut stars — five pointed stars — and this 
was great pleasure because to them it seemed 
a difficult thing to do. They told her it was 
too hard to do, but she told them that diffi- 
cult things honestly met and mastered were 
a means to success. 

Almost every child knew some of the poem 
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star," by Jane 
Taylor. Miss Kingwood read it to them, 
and they all memorized it. It was an en- 
larging process, the learning of this poem; it 
brought them into the mysteries of the uni- 
verse by inquiry — the threshold of knowledge. 



Month of Snow and Ice 59 

One little girl said, " We have stars on the 
flag," and v/hen asked why, she replied, 
"Because we love them," and another said, 
"Because they seem to tell us to look up," 
and Miss Kingwood again observed, " What 
a wonderful thing is the child mind, surely 
'a little child shall lead them'." 

Jack Frost was now supreme, and one 
morning the children came in with fingers 
and toes stinging with cold. This introduced 
Jack Frost as a lesson subject. They talked 
of all the things Jack Frost can do — build 
roofs for rivers and ponds; build bridges 
across rivers, as every one wanted to tell, 
for the high water had taken the bridge 
across the creek and the children could not 
cross the stream till the ice came. Now they 
could cross, and what glee this was. 

Then ice cutting and packing came up for 
a lesson. Some one said, " Jack Frost makes 
ice for us so it will be pleasant for us in sum- 
mer as well as in winter," and after they had 
told of his varied abilities Miss Kingwood 
observed that he seemed to be a " Jack of all 
trades," which pleasantry pleased the chil- 
dren very much. But what seemed to be of 
the greatest interest were the pictures on the 
windows. One had seen trees, another a 
fence falling down, a fairy, a crooked steeple, 



6o Mary Kingwood^ s School 

high bridges, and all sorts of wonderful 
things. 

That night when Mary and James Sellers 
went home they asked their mother if they 
might watch Jack Frost work. They went 
to the kitchen, where there was a big fire in 
the kitchen-stove, and on it the tea-kettle 
boiling. When their mother found them 
there and asked them what they were doing, 
they replied, "Helping Jack Frost.'* Their 
mother, interested, of course, in their doings, 
said, "how did you do that .^" and looked at 
the windows where the magician had touched 
the glass with the finger of his art. James 
answered quickly, "We made the fire that 
boiled the water that made the steam that 
old Jack worked with." So mother and 
children watched him work, and as they 
watched she softly told them stories of the 
wonders of nature and the wisdom of God, 
and the next day Miss Kingwood and the 
school listened with increased interest to the 
relation of this and other experiences of other 
children in other homes. And as the gentle 
voices told what mother had said, tears of 
gladness came into her eyes, for she knew 
that after all the mother is the great teacher. 

One evening late in the month Miss King- 
wood sat at her desk thinking of something 



Month of Snow and Ice 6 1 

new to interest the children, when her eyes 
rested on the calendar. "Why not have a 
weather calendar?" came to mind. It 
would teach them the seasons as well as the 
months and the days of the month, so next 
day she had them go to work. She began 
with January and had them mark special 
days with red crayon. Many of them 
marked their own birthday as a special day. 
This she recognized as a good thing to use to 
teach time. She had them observe the 
clouds, the direction of the wind, the snow, 
and rain. 

If the day was fair she allowed some child 
to mark on the chart a yellow circle, a darker 
one if the day was stormy, another mark 
indicated rain, another snow, and so on. 
Thus they were doing science work uncon- 
sciously, classifying, the important thing we 
will all admit, classifying because of investi- 
gation. She found that every child in school 
was anxious for the privilege of marking the 
calendar. "This," said Miss Kingwood, 
" seems a trifling matter, but I feel sure of 
results in training the children to accurate 
observation, and then they get so much in- 
formation that will be of use in the future, 
when they come to take up the formal study 
of geography and natural science." 



62 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

The story of Hiawatha proved to be an 
excellent language lesson for this month. 
How they loved the Httle Hiawatha, and the 
grandmother Nokomis, and they were over- 
joyed, after studying the stars, to have " stars 
and northern lights" in the story. They 
became fascinated with Hiawatha's friends, 
but when it came to hunting and killing the 
deer, they were spell-bound. Miss King- 
wood took occasion to show that while the 
Indian had a need to kill game animals we 
have a different way of gaining a living, and 
her lesson on kindness to animals made a 
deep impression on the children. They sang 
" The Owlet Song," and their voices rang out 
clear and strong in both this and the " Cradle 
Song." 

Miss Kingwood was not a good artist in 
drawing, but she made pictures illustrating 
the story, and the children were ever ready 
to tell the story from the pictures and to 
draw them, often in a very original and sug- 
gestive manner. In this lesson she realized 
how much is to be done in a short time, and 
this required new and more economic plans 
of work, so that as the days went by her work 
assumed a more formal and conventional 
appearance, but never for a moment did she 
permit the form to kill, for she knew full well 



Month of Snow and Ice 63 

that it is the spirit that maketh aHve; she 
expressed it "It maketh a Hve school." 

It was a busy month, but the work became 
more unified, and Miss Kingwood felt that 
her efforts were bringing results. She did 
not feel that she had made it a success, but 
there seemed to be a nearness between the 
pupils and herself that meant much in stim- 
ulating the growth of these lives under her 
direction, and in directing that growth 
towards a worthy ideal. 



VI. 

The Birthday Month. 

mHE days were quickly passing. Half of 
the school term was over, and what 
lessons had been learned ! More and 
more each day was the thought impressed on 
Miss Kingwood, " We become like the thing 
we admire" She knew that this was only an- 
other way of saying that our ideals are the 
motive which impels us forward, and she 
could see that in every act the children held 
her as an authority on every subject, and that 
she was the model by which ideals were 
formed by them. 

A mother told her that some little girls 
were playing school one day. A dispute 
arose and the fond mother was called to de- 
cide the question. There was a slight diflFer- 
ence between the mother's decision and Miss 
Kingwood 's way, and the ever ready defense 
was made, "No, Miss Kingwood doesn't do 
it that way." Realizing the situation, Miss 
64 



The Birthday Month 65 

Kingwood felt the responsibility, and a higher 
resolve entered into her mind relative to 
future work. 

In thinking over the work for February 
she decided that the organizing principle of 
the month's work should be "love.*' She 
began with that which comes closest to the 
little child — the mother love and the home 
love, gradually through the talks of the 
month to the love for heroes, working up to 
love of country, and not stopping short of 
that greatest of all — the Divine love. 

February, the shortest month of the year, 
has many attractions for the children, yet 
Miss Kingwood did not overload "the 
course" this month, but carefully and de- 
liberately instilled into their httle hearts the 
spirit of patriotism. It seemed easy to do 
this, for the spirit of thankfulness and of 
giving during the previous months paved the 
way for this phase of the work to be em- 
phasized. 

She told them stories of Lincoln and Wash- 
ington, and when their literary work was to 
be given, a special program relating to these 
two great men was prepared. Experience 
in past years had taught Miss Kingwood the 
dangers of "the patriotic month." Boys so 
love to hear of wars, and listen so eagerly for 



66 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

martial drum-beats that before we think of 
it war and fighting are associated in their 
hearts with the Washington stories. It is 
very easy for a boy to imagine that great 
things must be done in order to make a 
heroic Ufe. Here then was the opportunity 
to show the existence of quiet, self-sacrificing 
heroism. In fact every day offered an oppor- 
tunity to show the children this phase of life 
as practiced among the poor and lowly, of 
which heroism the world never learns. 

As Miss Kingwood had often said, it is not 
necessary to teach certain lessons at stated 
times, but it seems fitting to teach special 
subjects at certain times. Not that the chil- 
dren should be encouraged to be more 
patriotic in February than in any other 
month, but as long as America keeps green 
the memory of George Washington by a 
National observance of his birthday, so long 
will February be honored with the best im- 
pression of love for country. 

"But what can a primary teacher do in four 
short weeks ?" thought Miss Kingwood. In 
answer she said, "We will do what we can 
and leave the rest for the children to learn as 
they go on in the life way." There are so 
many things that suggest themselves in these 
early hours of school life that can only be 



The Birthday Month 67 

given a passing word, but the word given 
without bias is the seed of future growth, and 
looking into the future with a beautiful faith 
in the teachers that should come after her. 
Miss Kingwood carefully planted the seeds 
of good citizenship at every advantageous 
point throughout the month, so that in the 
succeeding weeks of the term she might refer 
to them as mile posts along the citizen way. 

In visiting the other grades Miss Kingwood 
noticed at one time that they were writing 
about James Russell Lowell and at another 
time about Longfellow, and when occasion 
offered she talked about these great poets 
and taught short quotations from their poems. 
But as the morning talks contained the 
essence of all the lessons for the day the list 
of subjects was long and varied. 

At the beginning of the month, keeping in 
view the growth in natural science, they 
talked of the length of the days, the tempera- 
ture, the birds that were back from a brief 
visit to warmer cHmates, the holidays and 
short reviews of their lessons about the 
heavenly bodies. But the history theme was 
the one Miss Kingwood had uppermost in 
her mind for this month and all else must 
center in history. 

Lincoln's birthday coming the first of the 



68 Mary Ktngwood's School 

natal days of the great characters to be 
studied, Miss Kingwood told the story of his 
life in such a delightful, simple way that the 
children not only admired but loved him. 
She told many short stories of his life and 
work. 

Incidentally the growth of cotton came 
into the discussion. One child said, "I 
have a cotton ball, may I bring it?" Of 
course she could bring it. That was just 
what was wanted. The lesson with it need 
not be recited here. The children had 
pictures of cotton fields. They saw the httle 
black children with their fathers and mothers 
picking cotton, filling their baskets, and carry- 
ing them on on their heads to barns or sheds 
where it lay until it was thoroughly dry so 
that it could be sent to the great mills to be 
made into cloths of various kinds to clothe 
the people of the world. 

In response to the question, "Who can 
name something made from cotton?" all 
wanted to speak at once. This eagerness 
was controlled by a gentle word, and a long 
list of articles was named and written down, 
a short step in a systematic study of the 
mechanical arts, for before the lesson was 
done, they talked of cotton gins, spinning 
machines, looms, print works, wholesale 



The Birthday Month 69 

stores, retail stores, dress patterns, thread, 
needles, sewing machines, and all the atten- 
dant materials and instruments and mach- 
ines that enter into the making of a garment. 
They were getting into touch with another 
of the great institutions unconsciously, and 
in future years much of the force that men 
and women, grown out of this school, would 
throw into their business relations, would 
date from these beginnings. 

In connection with the study of the men of 
this month many lessons in politeness and 
kindness were garnered up, and the very 
helpful memory gem, "Politeness is to do 
and say the kindest thing in the kindest way," 
was very potent in the control of the class. 

The volume of subject matter that pre- 
sented itself grew so large that Miss King- 
wood felt that she could easily have utilized 
another month; for their work relating to 
Lincoln, Lowell, Washington, and Long- 
fellow was so far-reaching that it supplied 
material for language lessons in every phase, 
for history, science, geography, sociology, 
and every other phase of her work as she saw 
it in relation to the coming school years of 
the children before her. 

Valentine Day was not overlooked. Miss 
Kingwood saw its use and noted what a 



yo Mary Kingwood^ s School 

source of pleasure it was to the children. 
She put it above the vulgar plane. She told 
the children about the good Saint and how, 
when he was old he sent loving messages to 
those who were sick and needed something 
to cheer them up. They made valentines 
for father and mother, and had a valentine 
box in which were mailed valentines to 
teacher and pupils. Miss Kingwood very 
thoughtfully dropped in one for each pupil, 
so no one would be slighted, and when the box 
was opened several pupils were appointed 
mail carriers to deliver the valentines. Here 
again was the lesson of giving, for those 
who had sent many were happier than those 
who had received many. 

Then came the study of Washington the 
boy, always polite, courteous, and thought- 
ful for the comfort of those about him. 
She told them how he gave up his desire to 
be a sailor for his mother's sake, told of his 
life as soldier and president, and the many 
stories of liis eventful career, which is of 
living interest to old and young. On his 
birthday, Miss Kingwood had planned a 
surprise for the children. She had taken 
red, white, and blue paper and let them fold 
"General's Hats," and when they marched 
out that evening each one was allowed to 



The Birthday Month Jl 

wear this hat. What a delighted company 
of fifty! They marched hke soldiers down 
the walk, and as Miss Kingwood watched 
them, her heart throbbed in response to her 
great love for every one, and she thought 
what school would be without any one of 
them. 

The song they seemed to like best during 
this month was "America." Every day 
some one asked, " May we sing * America ' ?" 
And when they sang it, the very air seemed 
filled with patriotism. They learned also 
**The Children's Hour," and as they re- 
peated the sweet lines they lived through the 
experiences of the poem with exhilarating 

joy- 

Thus far the month's work had been a 
continuous pleasure, but the echo from that 
evening march was soon to come into their 
lives in painful reality. Its shadow fell over 
the threshold one day when little James did 
not come to school. James had not missed 
a day since school opened in September. On 
inquiry no one knew why he was not in 
school. 

Miss Kingwood was concerned about him, 
but as the weather was bad and a number of 
children were missing, she supposed he was 
only out for a day or two because of the snow. 



72 Mary Kingwood's School. 

She was not prepared when on the third 
morning one Httle schoolmate came softly to 
her desk and told her with choking utterance 
that James had gone to the better land. The 
information soon went round and many an 
aching heart came to the teacher for comfort 
in the loss of a friend, for here indeed was a 
community of life and interest, the sweetest 
that it had ever been my lot to look upon. 

Over and over during the day the little 
ones came to her and said, " Oh, Miss King- 
wood, James is dead." During the day one 
little girl sobbed as if her heart would break, 
and in response to Miss Kingwood's consol- 
ing words, she said, "Oh, Miss Kingwood, 
I feel so sad that James is dead." 

Teacher and pupil alike loved the little 
brother gone, and as the teacher looked at 
the vacant seat the tears that she had held in 
check burst forth, and, in her own words, 
*'they all had just a good cry." 

But the duty of the day called them to face 
the trial, and it was most appropriate that 
their memory gem learned in the early part 
of the term, should be brought up now, and 
"Little children, love one another** never 
sounded so sweet as it did that sad February 
morning. In the hour of deepest gloom 
there is always a day star, and one lovely 



The Birthday Month y^ 

ciiild raised her hand and when permitted to 
speak, said, "Please, Miss Kingwood, let 
us sing * Precious Jewels/" The manner 
in which they sang showed that they felt 
that one jewel had been added to the Mas- 
ter's crown. 

At noon one careless boy who had often 
annoyed the teacher, came to her and said, 
*'Here, Miss Kingwood, is five cents. Papa 
and mamma are away, but I got this out of 
my bank. Please get some flowers for 
James." The fountains of life had been 
touched and the boy's spirit had been in a 
measure freed to start on a perilous journey, 
eagerly looking for another Miss Kingwood 
in the other grades as it went along. Would 
he find her ? This was my question. 

The sorrow for the loss of the one lamb 
from the flock was great and was shared by 
all, but Miss Kingwood came to her work 
with renewed purpose, so to live that she 
might look back upon her association with 
these little ones without regret. This reso- 
lution was to her the bread of life. I would 
that every teacher might feed thereon. 



VII. 
Blustery March. 

mHE death of little James cast a gloom 
over the entire school. Many times a 
day something was said which made 
teacher and pupil alike think of the little one 
who had gone from them. Miss Kingwood 
tried with renewed efforts and greater zeal to 
interest the pupils along new lines and with 
new stories — not that they might forget James 
— no, for he had exerted an influence over each 
little life, and Miss Kingwood 's life as well, 
that could never be taken away. It was an 
influence of nobility that abided like a sweet 
incense as the days went by. She felt the 
uplift of sweet sorrow and knew its value in 
shaping life to noble outline, but she felt also 
that there should be no morbid sorrow 
allowed to leave its trace in the young lives. 
She wanted as little of sadness for the child 
life as it was possible to have, for she knew 
that in the future trials must come, and in 
74 



Blustery March 75 

the unrevealed years there would be many 
periods of passing through the Valley. Her 
purpose was to temper the soul to power, 
power to stand in the hour of need. To this 
end stories of trial and ultimate triumph, 
poems of need and felt need satisfied, and 
songs of triumph over loss and sorrow made 
up a goodly portion of the new lessons these 
days. The meaning of the quotation " gold 
tried in the fire," was by story and kindly 
word worked into the moral fiber of this 
little band of workers. 

Februrary had been a busy month, and 
now that March was here with its blustery 
days many new lessons were suggested. 

One morning after the last bell had rung, 
some one asked, "Miss Kingwood, may we 
sing 'Father, We Thank Thee?'" She 
met the note of prayer in the child's voice 
with the keynote of the song. And what a 
prayer it was as they sang it ! It seemed to 
reach up to Him who cares for these little 
ones. 

Father, we thank Thee for the night, 
And for the pleasant morning light, 
For rest and food and loving care, 
And all that makes the world more fair. 
Help us to do the things we should, 
To be to others kind and good, 
In all we do, at work or play, 
To grow more loving every day. — Amen. 



76 Mary Kingivooirs School 

The most natural way of opening the work 
of the day seems to be with music, and a*s 
they sang this morning they seemed to dwell 
in a spirit realm, in a realm that put away 
thoughts of play, or work — indeed every 
child seemed to be holding the Infinite 
Hand. It was a moment of worship, a 
sacred time. 

As I have said before, Miss Kingwood was 
a wise teacher, — wise in many respects, 
especially in her aptness to follow the way 
suggested by the children when eager to 
enter new fields. So whenever she observed 
the state of mind that was so apparent this 
morning she quietly led them into the rich 
realms of literature. This was the hour for 
that work anyway, she thought, before the 
mind l)ecame weary or disturbed by the 
experiences of the day. Sometimes she gave 
them only a line, " a literary gem, " or '* mem- 
ory gem," as so many say. 

This morning she felt that the occasion 
was at hand to enter into a study of wider 
range and deeper meaning, and reminded 
them of a good man who loved children, 
whose birthday they had celebrated a short 
time before. The man was Longfellow, the 
children's friend. She related a number of 
attractive anecdotes about the good poet, and 



Blustery March 77 

ID simple phrase told them how lie clothed 
in rhyme the deepest meanings of human 
life, illustrating her statement by reading a 
line here and there from his poems in such a 
way that the little hearts responded to the 
call to live with Longfellow in his realm of 
higher and better life. 

And then with deep meaning shining from 
her eyes she read to them " The Rainy Day. '* 
She stood with the poet on the spirit side of 
this natural presentation of an overmastering 
spiritual truth, universal in the human race, 
and as her life flowed through her words into 
the soul life of the children, she got the ans- 
wer, in sympathy, if not in full interpreta- 
tion, and in that hour she felt the thrill of 
joy that comes from life uplifting other life. 

She said to me that we do not give children 
enough of a chance with these great poems 
of universal content. We persist in giving 
them something easy and childlike, forget- 
ting that childlike means Christlike. " And'* 
said she, " we select matter for them that has 
no broadening and deepening force for them , 
when we might be giving them the very 
bread of life as it is given to us in the world's 
best books. " 

She believed that the best literature read 
to the child becomes in a measure far greater 



78 Mary Kingiuood^s School 

than we think, a part of their Hves, and cited 
the hterature quoted by many of the world's 
greatest characters to show the abiding 
and Ufe strengthening words which came 
into their hves in earhest childhood. 

After Miss Kingwood had read the poem 
one little boy volunteered to say, "Why, 
Miss Kingwood, he thought his life was Uke 
the weather in the fall. He ought not to 
mind the bad, there is always some good.'* 
Not a very elegant way of putting it to be 
sure, but somehow this seven-year-old boy 
had caught the spirit of the writer, and think 
of it, these little children in the first year 
grade asked if they might memorize this poem . 
Some time afterwards a thoughtful httle girl 
suggested that if the sun shone all the time 
and we had no cloudy and rainy days we 
could not know the worth of sunshine. 
Teachers who have had experience of dark 
and dreary days will realize the force of the 
child's observation. 

The warm spring days were near at hand ; 
they meant much to this primary school. 
The children sowed seeds. Some brought 
glasses, filled them with water, and with 
their own little hands placed a layer of cotton 
on the water and put the seeds there. 

The child revels in the sense of ownership 



Blustery March 79 

— so let him have it whenever possible. Be- 
cause they sow the seeds themselves they 
watch the development and growth of seeds 
with greater interest. 

In planning her work, Miss Kingwood 
attached full value to the fact that these chil- 
dren had not known many springs, and that 
as children they would not know many more. 
With this truth in mind she strove to enrich 
every hour of this springtime for every child 
under her care. The world does not hold in 
her storehouse of experience many periods so 
full of pure and sweet pleasure for the child 
as the springtime, and Miss Kingwood felt 
that not one moment should be marred by 
any hard and fast rule of conduct concerning 
their observations and conversations about 
spring and what it was giving them. 

Several of the children placed their glasses 
on their desks, and waited, showing plainly 
by their manner that their expectations con- 
cerning the outcome of their experiments 
were not very definite. Day by day they 
watched. They noted the seeds swelling 
and were overjoyed when the covering burst 
open to let the leaflets out to climb upward 
in the light, and the rootlets to creep down- 
ward in the water below the cotton. Every 



8o Mary Kingwood's School 

little investigator showed in his face the joy 
of revelation. 

At this stage of the work Tom Baker let it 
be known that he was still in the ranks by 
asking, "Miss Kingwood, why is it that the 
roots go down into the water and the leaves 
and stem come up into the air?" And in 
such a gentle and unassuming way this 
teacher talked to Tom Baker, and through 
him to the class, of the Wisdom that enables 
the roots of the plants to seek for the needed 
elements in the soil, while the stem and leaf 
seek other elements in the atmosphere, and 
bless Tom Baker, he didn't know, but at 
recess that day he was heard to say to his 
chum, "Say, Bob, isn't it funny that a chest- 
nut tree will pull chestnuts out of the same 
dirt from which an oak tree pulls acorns ? ' * 
Miss Kingwood heard the words and her 
heart throbbed in unison with this seeker 
after the wonderful facts of nature. 

Among the children the plants were indeed 
helpful and inspiring. They observed that 
the sprouts of those in the dark were white 
while those in the sun were green, and this 
time Bob wanted to know why. The ques- 
tions were fruitful of helpful suggestions in 
the answering of them and the children were 
happy, triumphant in their work. 



Blustery March 8i 

Some time after this the teacher asked 
them to bring twigs. They brought the 
pussy-willow, maple, horse chestnut, lilac, 
apple twigs, and others. They had a twig 
party, and each child introduced his guest. 
The pussy-willows always bring their wel- 
come with them, and the teacher who does 
not want to lay the bunch of pussy-willows 
caressingly against her cheek has lost some- 
thing from her nature that was her best in- 
heritance, and that the children will sadly 
miss without knowing what it is, but which 
leaves them with a sense of loneliness and 
deep loss down in the heart that nothing can 
supply. 

Miss Kingwood believed that if you had a 
troublesome boy who never thought of you 
as anything but a teacher, you should let him 
occasionally see the loving human side of you. 
** Why not," she said, " be a child again, a 
child among the children and be true enough 
to enjoy this spring with the children in 
their way — the natural way ? " 

When the life in the twigs that had been 
brought in had been encouraged to "push 
out the tips," and the apple and the lilacs 
really had little flower buds the delight of the 
children knew no bounds and that little 
surprised "oh" of dehght brought more real 



82 Mary Ktngwood'' s School 

joy indications than all the wealth of summer 
in its time could bring. 

Miss Kingwood had asked the children to 
watch for the first bird to come back, and for 
the first flower. Children are apt to see the 
bluebirds and the robins long before the 
teacher does, and one day Johnny, not over- 
bright ordinarily, came running in breath- 
lessly with "Oh, Miss Kingwood, I saw a 
robin!'* That report aroused the school 
and many lessons were learned about how 
the birds return, how they get their food, how 
they build their nests, and this discussion 
supplied material for conversational language 
lessons for many days as well as for geogra- 
phy, science, and number work. 

Many times the children would ask for 
stories, and perhaps would designate some 
particular one which was a favorite. But 
Miss Kingwood had a new one this week, 
and as she read Ruskin's "The King of the 
Golden River," the children saw that Hans 
and Schwartz were men of stone because 
they did not serve those w^ith whom they 
came in contact. They were all in sym- 
pathy with Gluck when he was ill-treated by 
his brothers, and were delighted when they 
found that Gluck, who gave water to those 
that needed it, made himself a helper and 



Blustery March 83 

friend and by doing for others gained true 
happiness for himself. 

Miss Kingwood's success, or at least part 
of it, depended on these stories — she taught 
after the manner of the great Teacher, though 
cycles of years have passed by since He 
taught upon earth. Miss Kingwood studied 
His life as the God-man who taught daily 
through His stories, not in dusty, crowded 
school-rooms, but by the roadside, on the 
mountainside, or on the brow of a hill, at 
the seashore, or from the deck of the ship, — 
anywhere, out in Nature's broad arena. 

In meditation and prayer this teacher had 
so much contemplated the life and work of 
the Man of Galilee gis a teacher of men, that 
she felt that His every act while upon earth 
was a teaching act, and so she believed that 
every act of hers, whether by look, movement, 
or spoken word was a teaching act, and in 
striving to be like Him in her work she im- 
plicitly believed that for her was given the 
promise " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
the least of these, my little ones, ye have done 
it to me." 




VIII. 
The Rain Month. 

jAIN! Rain! Rain! It seemed as if it 
were never going to stop, but the pu- 
pils in Miss Kingwood's school did not 
care — not they — whether the day gave sun- 
shine or shower. That school -room always 
seemed bright. It not only seemed bright, it 
was bright, for the beauty of a devoted life 
shone in that school through rain or shine. 
If the day were dark and rainy, then Miss 
Kingwood would have the children sing their 
brightest songs, and by planning new games, 
and telUng some story sweeter than any she 
had yet used, she drove away the shadows. 
The day of which I write was rainy, dark, 
dreary, but all through the long wet, weary 
day. Miss Kingwood encouraged the children 
by a more gentle touch, a kinder word, a 
more helpful look. This day she drew 
heavily on her resen-e power, and words of 
praise fell here and there even while she 
84 



The Rain Month 85 

knew that there were many more errors made 
this day than was customary with the Httle 
ones. She did not flatter, she did not use 
extravagant language, but with the most 
praiseworthy care she examined every effort 
and saw only the good, and with the master- 
ful touch of a leader every good thing done 
this day by every child was brought into full 
view. Her power to do this in the day of 
trial marked her as an extraordinary teacher. 
A rainy day in her school always made the 
right thing popular. 

Miss Kingwood once told me of a child in 
another school who was working at home at 
a task. The child's brain was weary and 
looking into her mother's face at eleven 
o'clock at night, she said, "Mamma, do 
you suppose the teacher will say it is good ? ' ' 
"Doesn't she ever tell you if your work is 
well done?" asked the mother. The child 
with a sigh replied, " Not very often. " Miss 
Kingwood said, "Oh, what a lesson for 
a teacher lies in that weary little one's ques- 
tion!" 

Under the impulse of that sigh, she scanned 
the whole horizon of her field of effort, and 
ever after that she tried not to withhold the 
word "fitly spoken." Her heart was over- 
flowing with love and sympathy for these 



86 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

intrusted to her care. Every true teacher 
should be like her in this respect, thought I. 
Truly the Great Teacher was her model. 

"I wonder," said Miss Kingwood one 
morning, " how many know the name of this 
month." She got a ready answer. "And 
how many know the season of the year?" 
she asked. They had learned about the 
springtime in the weeks past, but the awak- 
ening of nature in this month had new 
charms for all. In March, they thought of 
frost and mud, but April had brought shower 
and sunshine and the rainbow. One even- 
ing after a refreshing shower, just before 
time to close school, some one noticed a beau- 
tiful rainbow and they all at the suggestion 
of the teacher went to the window to see it. 
Then she told them the story of the pot of 
gold at the rainbow's end, and read them the 
little poem, "Where the Rainbow Ends." 

I. 

Keep on, my chillun, 

E'n wid glory you'll be friends— 
De gold's over yander 

Whar de rainbow ends. 

II. 
Keep on, my chillun, 

In the black, black night; 
Tie up yo' troubles 

Wid a rainbow bright. 



The Rain Month 87 

III. 
Keep on, my chillun, 
Wid amazin' grace ; 
De gold's in the rainbow 
Ef you'll only run the race. 

— Atlanta Constitution 

This talk on the rainbow was one of the 
best I ever knew Miss Kingwood to give. 
She led the children into the mysteries of 
light and color with as much grace and ten- 
derness as she had brought them to learn of 
the flowers, birds, and animals, and her story 
of the meaning of finding the gold at the end 
of the rainbow was so simple and so absorb- 
ing in interest that I felt myself grow under 
the magic of its meaning. She told how an 
over-ruling Providence permitted us to form 
convictions and to be led foi*ward by them, 
and that many times we failed to do the 
things we set out to do; when we met 
such failures we were apt to think our 
efforts wasted, but said she, "the very fact 
that we feel dissatisfied is the best proof that 
we are growing better, that is the meaning of 
the story of going to the end of the rainbow. 
If we are faithful we never reach where it 
seems to be. The promise of more, and 
more, and better life is but the rainbow 
showing us the way." 

How the eyes of the children danced when 



88 Mary Kingwood^s School 

they talked of the rainbow. It called up 
their story of Hiawatha, in which Nokomis 
told the little Hiawatha that flowers of many 
colors fade on earth ; they do not perish but 
blossom in the rainbow, the heaven of flowers. 
This lesson brought to mind other stories 
about blossoms, and in the evening they 
looked up to see the blossoms of heaven, the 
stars. The next day they wanted to talk 
about the stars, and after that for some time 
they kept account of the starlit and moonlit 
nights, and sadly spoke of the nights when 
the heavy veil of clouds shut off from sight 
these orbs of heaven. But not long after, at 
the morning hour when they were to report 
about the starlight and the moonlight, they 
came with a different story. The preceding 
night had given them the first thunder storm 
of the season. The little ones told of that. 
Some with terror depicted on their faces, 
told of the "awful black clouds with such 
fierce shapes," and of the "terrible light- 
ning" and the "loud thunder," and if you 
could have witnessed the teacher's face at 
this time you would have been able to read 
volumes there. When the children had 
given their version of the storm, she told 
them that she would read them a poem, and 
then, I think because she was a student and 



The Rain Month 89 

admirer of David P. Page, she read them 

God moves in a mysterious way 

His wonders to perform, 
He plants His footsteps on the sea 

And rides upon the storm. 

Then she talked to them in her simple, 
childlike way of the forces of nature and 
specially of the wind and electricity. It 
was not what the expert might call a schol- 
arly talk, but at the bottom I could see a 
profound knowledge of scientific principles, 
and I said to myself, " It does pay to be well- 
informed if you would teach the beginner." 

After the storm had been discussed they 
talked of other things that had been observed 
that morning. The pavement that morning 
seemed to be covered with earth worms, and 
some of the children wanted to know if they 
had come down in the rain. This question 
was followed by others and before they left 
this subject they had learned the earth 
worms' manner of living, their habits, and 
the uses to which they are put by men. 

After a most interesting hour in this science 
work, or "nature study," Miss Kingwood 
had a story that was in direct relation to the 
state of mind in which she had brought the 
class, and she read them the story of " Carl 
and the Earth Worms."* From that story 

*Sarah Wiltse Kindergarten Stories. 



QO Mary Kingwood\^ School 

they received a revelation about these crea- 
tures and were very much impressed with the 
facts given in that interesting narrative. 

The children of this school grew with the 
awakening of nature. The blossoming of 
the trees was an ever-changing panorama of 
delight. The green foliage, the tinted petals, 
the fragrance of the blossoms were a series of 
signals to their alert senses, and under the 
inspiration of the eyes filled with wonder and 
with joy. Miss Kingwood read or quoted the 
best of literature relative to this holiest time 
of the year and with a sweetness that never 
seemed to wane she told the little ones that 
unless we live up to the fullness of spring's 
message and see in the upspringing flowers, 
the blooming of the trees, the singing of the 
birds, the leaping water in the brooks, and 
in the storm clouds, the meaning of God's 
message to the world we do not live as well 
as we ought to live. She told them that as 
the years go by and spring after spring 
bursts on our lives we should get this revela- 
tion from the All Wise Father clearer and 
clearer with each succeeding year, and with 
one consent the children said, "Miss King- 
wood, we will try to find the good in every- 
thing." And the teacher said, "Let us be 
good." 



The Rain Month 91 

This lesson showed the philosophy of Miss 
Kingwood's teaching. She believed that no 
heart that has been cold, selfish, and un- 
helpful to others or that has been completely 
absorbed in material things after the fading 
of the leaves in the fall is ready to catch the 
meaning of the tender budding of the new 
leaf time. To be in touch with spring is to 
be in touch with the best tilings life holds. 
True to this philosophy, she so directed her 
work that in every lesson teacher and pupil 
together read the message of love and of 
more life and lived up to it. This is what 
they learned one morning during the month : 

Good morning, sweet April — 

So winsome and shy, 
With a smile on your lip, 

And a tear in your eye. 

There are pretty hepaticas 

Hid in your hair, 
And bonny blue violets 

Clustering there. 

Miss Kingwood had asked them to watch 
for the first wild flowers and this little poem 
led them to think that perhaps some were 
hidden, and indeed, it was not long till these 
flowers were brought to the school-room. 

Along about this time when the work of 
the school seemed to her to be going on 



92 Mary Kingwood*s School 

nicely. Miss Kingwood noticed that the 
people, parents and others, were talking 
about the school and that they spoke of the 
difference between this term and former 
years. They told her that they had noticed 
that the work of one month fitted nicely into 
the work of the preceding month, and this 
made the teacher's heart glad. She had 
struggled for continuity and relation in her 
work, and while she had never uttered such 
a thing, now she felt she was getting a por- 
tion of her reward in that the work she 
planned had been recognized to be as she had 
tried to make it. She felt more than ever 
satisfied that the lessons learned each day 
were for all time and for eternity. 

The lessons of February's great men were 
not forgotten in March or April, but the in- 
fluence of the lives of Lincoln, Washington, 
and Lowell was an abiding presence every 
day, and she firmly believed it would endure 
and grow in power. It was a very common 
occurrence for a pupil to say something about 
these great characters, and what was said 
usually brought about spirited discussions 
relative to the motives of these men, and 
after every such discussion it was evident 
that all were more firmly convinced that the 



The Rain Month 93 

great motive of each of these great citizens 
was service — to do good for others. 

Miss Kingwood's abihty to tell a story was 
a source of wonderful power to her. Stories 
about kindness to animals, good habits, 
truthfulness, bravery, and devotion to duty, 
were told in such a convincing way that 
without saying so in words she brought the 
children to see that to do good and noble 
deeds, not to win praise, but simply to be 
good and noble is the mark of true greatness 
and that it is the worthy purpose that marks 
the man, and is after all the important thing 
in life. 

The warm showers had taken away all the 
snow and ice and had filled the streams. 
One morning when the creek nearby the 
school-house was running full of water, great, 
big, awkward Tom Carey, who had seemed to 
be in a sort of stupor all winter came rushing 
into the house and up to Miss Kingwood's 
desk. Her heart leaped with joy at the sight 
of his face. It was illumined with an in- 
spiration which she had never seen before, 
and in her joy she held out her hand to Tom. 
He was no longer awkward. Unconsciously 
he took her hand with the grace of a lover, 
and as he stood looking into her face he said, 
"Miss Kingwood, they are building a big 



94 Mary Kingwood's School 

bridge right across the creek. They are 
going to build a railroad across it and run 
cars over it." "What will they do that for, 
Tom ?" asked the teacher, and then, with the 
light fading in his eyes, he said, "They say 
to haul wheat from Chicago to New York.'* 
And then, remembering how hard it had 
been for Tom to get any meaning out of 
their geography stories. Miss Kingwood 
asked one of the other boys to go and bring 
the United States map. When it had been 
hung on the wall, Miss Kingwood, with 
infinite patience, showed Tom the location 
of New York and Chicago, and then told 
him to think out over the earth from this 
bridge till he could reach New York, going 
over hills, across bridges, and through tun- 
nels, and as Tom closed his eyes and thought. 
Miss Kingwood stood in silence till he opened 
his eyes and the light that shone there when 
he first came to her desk had come back. 
From that hour Tom Carey was a new crea- 
ture, in touch with the world's great struggle 
for existence. 

When the bell rang and the opening exer- 
cises had been completed. Miss Kingwood 
said, " Tom Carey tells me we are to have a 
new railroad and since we are thinking about 
railroads I want to read you a poem by John 



The Rain Month 95 

G. Saxe called "Riding on the Rail," and 
then she read from memory, thanks to her 
teacher while in a country school, the whole of 
the poem beginning 

Singing through the forests 

Rattling over ridges, 
Shooting under arches, 

Rumbhng over bridges. 
Whizzing through the mountains 

Buzzing o'er the vale, 
Bless me, this is pleasant, 

Riding on a rail. 

This aroused unbounded enthusiasm and 
Tom was all eagerness for each new develop- 
ment. Miss Kingwood wanted to tell about 
hauling freight, but she seemed to think that 
to talk of numbers so large as were involved 
in hauling wheat would be lost time so she 
began with speaking of a quart measure of 
wheat. She had a measure at hand. She 
talked of a peck, and of a bushel, and then 
led them to think of 600 bushels in a car, 
then she told them how many cars it would 
take to haul one year's crop of wheat by say- 
ing that if it were all loaded on cars at one 
time the cars would reach clear across the 
continent two times. She did not expect 
them to understand this, but she wanted to 
impress their minds wiih. the immensity of 
the matter of growing wheat, and Tom Carey 



96 Mary Kingwood^ s School 

seemed to get an idea. The lesson was really 
for Tom, and then as soon as she could do so 
wisely she passed to other subjects related to 
the raising and hauling of wheat and an 
excellent lesson on the making of bread and 
feeding the poor was the result. 

Easter came the latter part of the month. 
The Easter lesson was not omitted. Each 
child wanted to tell of Easter eggs, and after 
they had had their hour Miss Kingwood 
explained how it seems natural to talk about 
eggs at Easter because of the new life soon to 
be awakened. In the opening exercises they 
learned many gems of literature appropriate 
to the time. " Consider the lilies how they 
grow! They toil not, neither do they spin, 
and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all 
his glory was not arrayed like one of these." 
It also seemed appropriate that they read 
the message of the Easter lily, *' Be pure, be 
white, be clean." The Easter lesson yielded 
a rich return in historic interest in the Man 
of Galilee. 

The month was drawing to a close, and 
while Miss Kingwood often grew weary from 
the duties of the day and burdened in spirit 
with the responsibilities of the future, anx- 
ious also with regard to the past, yet she 
always came to each day's service with the 



The Rain Month 97 

fullness of preparation. Every day added 
to the meaning registered in her life of her 
service with these little ones. Here were 
fifty animated beings, souls whose destiny 
would largely be shaped by her service. She 
felt that every look, word, act, counted for 
life-making, and she felt that no one could 
tell the joys and sorrows, the triumphs or the 
failures, the comforts or the privations that 
the future had in store for these her httle 
ones. 

Her constant desire was to make school 
life for them as pleasant as possible so that it 
might be said of her, "She hath done what 
she could," and if this desire were to be ful- 
filled she knew that she must bring to these 
little ones the full measure of service, and 
that she must come to that service with clean 
hands and a pure heart. 



IX. 

The Month of Blossoms. 

mHE closing day of April made Miss 
Kingwood think of work for the new 
month upon which they were about to 
enter, and these questions arose : " How shall 
I give a fresh side to my work to-day ? In 
what new way can I present truth ?" These 
questions and myriads of others came thick 
and fast to her daily. She aimed to be a true 
teacher, and her ideal of a true teacher was 
that she should day by day so adjust the en- 
vironment of her pupils that each one might 
f or himself or for herself set free that of the 
Divine life which was struggling for utter- 
ance in the human life. 

Each morning as she opened school, with 
simple devotional exercises, each Htt'e one 
seemed to realize the perfect freedom ac- 
corded to all to ask what they wanted to do 
or to have done. And the school life with 
these children had so grown into unselfish- 
98 



The Month of Blossoms 99 

ness that rarely .did one pupil make a request 
that was not heartily joined in by the others. 
It seemed to me to be merely a question of 
which one "got the floor,'* and it encour- 
aged the on-looker mightily to see the deU- 
cate tact with which Miss Kingwood re- 
garded the rights and privileges of every 
member of this "congress of growing life.'* 
As I have said before, there were no favored 
ones except those favored by the consent of 
the whole. 

This particular April morning of which I 
am thinking was one over the skies of which 
Mother Nature had hung a heavy curtain of 
clouds, and it seemed most appropriate that 
six-year-old quiet, lovable Martha Simpson 
should ask that they be allowed to sing, " Let 
a Little Sunshine In." Miss Kingwood 's 
eyes beamed the ready answer, and how they 
sang that song under the canopy of the 
shadow of April clouds! The chorus drove 
away the clouds from within, and the sun- 
shine truly shone out of fifty pairs of joyous 
eyes in a way Miss Kingwood said she had 
never seen before, and then she mused, 
" perhaps it is because I have let more sun- 
shine in." Anyway, that song was a noble 
anthem of both prayer and praise. Under 
its beneficent influence personaUties and self 



100 Mary Ktngwood^s School 

were forgotten. There was no fear of 
teacher, no concern about making mistakes, 
no nervousness because of expecting criti- 
cism. They were free, and I thought, "in 
this hour these children have had their 
affections quickened, and within them love 
of pure thought has been wonderfully 
strengthened and intensified." 

Ever when she came to the close of a busy 
day. Miss Kingwood more fully realized 
that it was not methods nor devices, but the 
spirit of the school and the personality of the 
teacher that make for the more abundant 
life — the end for which she was constantly 
striving. And it was because of this daily 
self-examination in connection with her 
estimate of each individual child that had 
caused her to be spoken of as not like other 
teachers. 

Some time in March a new girl had come 
into the school. She was the daughter of a 
poor mechanic, plain of feature, with lovely 
black hair and entrancing eyes, but above 
all and over all she had a sweet soprano 
voice. She had lived in Baltimore, but had 
not been in school many months. She was 
a modest little tot, never doing anything for 
praise, but always wanting to do something 
for others. Her voice was gentle and to hear 



The Month of Blossoms loi 

it in song would make one as glad for the 
shadow as for the sunshine. It was wonder- 
ful the effect her voice had upon the other 
children, and her sweet manner of speaking 
had much to do with making the voices of 
the other children pleasant and gentle. She 
learned the school songs quickly, and sang 
them with such grace that the school invol- 
untarily and unconsciously, I think, recog- 
nized her as leader. The children would 
wait for Marjory Harper to start the songs, 
and she came into leadership, not only in 
song, but in their games, not because of fine 
clothes, for she wore no rich garments, not 
because of the social standing of her parents, 
for they were not society folk, but because of 
her own worth. Miss King wood had read to 
them that beautiful poem, "For I'm to be 
Queen of the May, Mother, I'm to be Queen 
of the May," and as May was approaching 
the children united in the request that they 
have a May-day party, and have a queen, 
too. 

Every one was exultant in the thought of 
the happy May-day, and when the time came 
to find a queen, Marjory Harper was elected 
by the unanimous demand of the children 
that she take the place of honor. Just when 
this momentous matter had been decided. 



102 Mary Kingwood^s School 

the teacher of music came in and asked Miss 
Kingwood if she might take Marjory with 
her to another room while she taught a 
special class in music, saying that she had 
some exercises that she was very anxious to 
have Marjory hear. While Marjory was 
gone, Miss Kingwood asked why they all 
wanted Marjory to be their May queen. 
One said, " Because she is always so happy, 
it just suits her to be queen." Another said, 
"Because we all love her. Miss Kingwood." 
Another, "Because she loves to do all she 
can for us, so she ought to be our queen." 
And Tom Baker, growing Tom, said, "Be- 
cause she helps you, Miss Kingwood, in 
starting songs, and when we learn new 
songs, she helps us learn them." Wonder- 
ful, wonderful, what influence one exerts on 
another, even in a First Primary school. 

Miss Kingwood had noticed that Marjory 
was always dressed plainly, though she was 
always neat and clean, but her dress hardly 
seemed appropriate for Queen of the May. 
Miss Kingwood had often wished that she 
might help her to better clothes for certain 
occasions. However, observant of the child's 
high spirit, she had not ventured upon this 
delicate service, but now it only needed a 
suggestion relative to costumes secured for 



The Month of Blossoms 103 

such times as May-day, and the present con- 
dition was provided for. One Httle girl 
said, "Marjory may have my pearl beads," 
and each brought some article of wearing 
apparel or suitable jewelry which was prized 
highly, and from these offerings for the 
costume of their queen, Miss Kingwood and 
the children soon had Marjory fitted out in 
queenly robes ; and when they looked on her, 
clothed also in her glad smile of joy that she 
had been thought worthy of their love, every 
heart was full of joy even to overflowing. 

The formal work of the school had not 
been neglected. The children read the 
stories they loved and with such expression 
as would surprise many pupils in higher 
grades. One phase of their work that they 
all enjoyed especially was the lesson in 
phonics, and in this, as in all their work. 
Miss Kingwood let the children's imagina- 
tion lead them to the vocal organs which were 
used in giving the sounds, and by this means 
their progress in vocal exercises was much 
more rapid. For instance, she led them to 
associate the puff of the steamboat with the 
letter p, and, wise little tots, they called it 
the "steamboat letter." Many similar ex- 
amples were used. The program was so 
arranged that at the close of this period every 



104 Mary Kingwood's School 

day the teacher of music and drawing came 
in for a few minutes for the work, and she 
said she learned much from these pupils and 
that she enjoyed the exercises as much as the 
children did. 

Although some work had been done in 
studying birds, May seemed to be the month 
above all others for this delightful exercise, 
for all the birds had returned by this time. 
The lessons on building the nests, who builds 
them, and who feeds the baby birds were all 
of the greatest interest. Every day during 
the nest-building period the children made 
observations and could tell the exact ma- 
terials used for each different bird's nest, and 
they knew where the nests were built. Tom 
Baker said, " The birds should be loved and 
protected for their beauty, for their songs, 
and for their usefulness." Some one else 
suggested that birds are like people — the 
father and mother making the home, and 
getting food for the children. 

Later in the month they had a special 
"Bird Day," and each one represented his 
or her favorite bird. One said, " Oh, Miss 
Kingwood, may I be a robin?" Another 
wanted to be a bluebird, and so each made 
his choice, and Miss Kingwood prepared for 
the day, "The Burdens of Birdland." The 



The Month of Blossoms 105 

day's exercises were a great lesson for all, 
and as the fond mothers and fathers gathered 
into the school-room that day and heard the 
earnest plea of the children for the birds, the 
lesson they received was one they could not 
have obtained from books. In harmony 
with the spirit of the time, Miss Kingwood 
taught them Lucy Larcom's poem, "The 
Merry Brown Thrush." 

Miss Kingwood, I observed, was devoted 
in her preparation for each day's work. She 
thought about each coming hour. She felt 
the responsibility resting upon her who 
attempts to guide fifty pure young lives 
aright. She realized that children crave for 
activity and more life, and in order to help 
them get into this larger field of experience 
she herself must go forth into the light of 
things, and have nature for her teacher. 
She felt that she must go into nature's realms, 
open her eyes, and see the great, wide, beau- 
tiful world, that she might know and love it. 

The study of natural science in common 
e very-day phrase, which the '^educators" call 
" nature work," was the feature of this school, 
and the conversations were very much like 
those which had taken place in April, but the 
teacher wisely led them into new fields, and 
the blossoming vegetation opened for the 



lo6 Mary Kingwood's School 

children a wonder book indeed. They called 
May the " blossom month." Surely you will 
agree that that was a good name for this 
incense-laden time. 

The study of the blossoms gave splendid 
opportunity for the teacher to use the knowl- 
edge she had gained by her course in botany, 
but no "bookish" terms ever marred the 
delightful exercise of comparing the blossoms 
of the apple, pear, peach, and cherry trees. 
Many were the delicate distinctions of form, 
color, and fragrance that were noted and 
expressed in right terms under the teacher's 
guidance, and petal, sepal, filament, and 
anther, were as readily and as properly used 
by the children as were beak, wing, tail, or 
plumage when speaking of birds. But I 
observed that it was not these technical terms 
that Miss Kingwood was striving to teach — 
she had from the beginning set a high value 
on comparison and classification as a part of 
the educative process, and these powers were 
ever under the most careful direction. From 
observing her skilful management of these 
nature lessons, I said, " The teacher who can 
waken the soul-sense of little children to the 
beauty, charm, and purity of apple blos- 
soms and can lead the little ones to talk in 
right language of their experiences with these 



The Month of Blossoms 1 07 

blossoms, is a teacher indeed," and I further 
said, "She is a greater teacher who can so 
direct these experiences that the child can 
never again look upon the flowers unmoved 
or pass them by unloved. This is great 
work for May, and because Miss Kingwood 
has been able to do this thing, she has given 
these Httle ones the more abundant life." 

Each day some one would ask Miss King- 
wood for a story, and if a primary teacher 
has no time on her program for a story every 
day, she should not let another day pass 
without making correction of that program. 
The story used may be new, or it may be one 
used often before. Good stories may be told 
many times. Children maintain their in- 
terest in the story of real life and they live 
through its experiences time and time again. 
I agree with that wise woman who said a 
primary teacher should be a fairy among 
children — a real story-teller, but with good 
story-telling goes good reading of stories, for 
by the reading the teacher brings the chil- 
dren to understand that the stories come from 
books. Knowing the stories are printed in 
the books creates a felt need for reading. 
Out of the felt need arises the desire, and out 
of the desire comes the determination to 
read, and then — learning to read is a short 



io8 Mary Kingwood' s School 

and most pleasing experience. Miss King- 
wood was full of this doctrine and so she read 
to the little ones. At this particular time she 
read Andersen's story of the "Five Little 
Peas." In this story there is much envel- 
oped for the children to think about. It was 
a piece of literature in sympathy with what 
they had been talking about, and with what 
they had been doing with their little gardens 
wherein they had watched the seeds develop 
into plants. 

In this school the work of each month was 
a natural prelude to that of the next, and 
Miss Kingwood believed that if they were to 
have a beautiful June they must have a 
sweet May. She fully realized that to this 
end much depended on her. She had another 
self-examination : " Had she enough of the 
spirit of the springtime yet to know the full- 
ness of May? Had she 'Brushed the cob- 
webs from her head and swept the snow 
banks from her heart ? ' and opened that 
heart to every injfluence that would make 
teacher and pupil happier and better?" 

The quickening everywhere, the upspring- 
ing of fresh life on every hand, and the joy of 
bird-note should crowd out the petty worries 
of school life. Miss Kingwood believed 
that acquaintance with nature is a sovereign 



The Month of Blossoms 109 

remedy for the worst boy. She would take 
this wayward child who tried her patience 
beyond endurance almost, out into the fields, 
to the clear meadow brook. She would help 
him catch its words as it went gurgling on- 
ward to the sea. She got to the soul of the 
boy by revealing to him her soul, and the 
fact that his last paper was "all blot" didn't 
weigh a feather on the wrong side. Out 
there in the fields or woods, blots, confused 
writing, every wrong thing was seemingly 
forgotten, and she sought after the child 
heart and usually found it, for she often said, 
"Don't censure the child. It may be my 
error that has caused him to go the wrong 
way; I will try to make this last week of May 
my best week." 

Toward the close of the month Miss King- 
wood thought she should at least make men- 
tion of Memorial Day, but her lesson con- 
cerning it and what it stands for was tactful 
indeed. She told the children just a fittle of 
the great theme. She knew that all children 
take great delight in listening to stories of 
bravery in battle. They are great hero 
worshippers. But she avoided telling them 
of the horrors of war except in the most 
meaner outline, just enough to understand 
that the North and the South once were at 



no Mary Kingwood^s School 

variance, the cause of which they would more 
fully learn as they grew older. Then in her 
quiet way she read them "Under the Sod 
and the Dew," and told them that Memorial 
Day had been set apart to remember in 
quietness and with grateful spirits those who 
had suffered for our country. She told them 
that our great nation paused on this day to 
think of the brave men who thus suffered, 
and that we should remember them for the 
sacrifice then given. 

The love for the flag was strengthened by 
the Memorial Day lesson, and patriotism and 
loyalty were magnified in their lives. 



The Month of Roses. 

mHE closing days were near at hand and 
though Miss Kingwood reahzed that 
the time was near when she must leave 
these little ones whom she had learned to love 
so dearly, the interest in the school was as in- 
tense as ever, for it was the growth of life into 
more abundant Hfe for them that was the 
subject nearest to her heart, and she wished, 
if possible, to make the last days the best 
days. Are not the last days of the term as 
full of opportunity as the earher part of the 
term? This was a question of moment to 
her, and as she had throughout the term 
learned the dispositions and experiences of 
these children, now at the close this knowl- 
edge seemed to increase her opportunities 
and responsibilities. They had been her 
almost constant companions for nearly ten 
months and this experience was large with 
meaning to her. 

Ill 



112 Mary Kingwood's School 

To many teachers, June is looked upon as 
simply a new month with thirty days, no 
more — unless it be final examinations and 
the close of school. Miss Kingv/ood thought 
this should not be the feeling of the teacher, 
for she said, " June belongs to the children. \ 
In a friendly talk with me she said, " Every 
hour should bring every child some gift of 
grace. Soul food must be stored away dur- 
ing June to last until the beginning of the 
next school term. June is crowded with 
opportunities for the highest type of teach- 
ing, and only those chiWren who come under 
its blessed influence will be happy." 

So I thought the regular routine of school 
work must go on daily, but these glorious 
June days should illuminate the work until 
every little heart throbs under the inspired 
touch and comes to feel the instinct of " up- 
ward striving," for 

What is so rare as a day in June? 

Then, if ever, come perfect days, 
Then heaven tries the earth if it be in tune, 

And over it softly her warm ear lays; 
Whether we look or whether we listen, 

We hear life murmur or see it glisten. 

Miss Kingwood thought there is so much in 
June for which we should be grateful, that she 
wished to have the children absorb enough 



The Month of Roses 113 

of the June feeling and June loveliness to carry 
in their hearts all year, and not have them lose 
one day of God's inspiring out-of-doors. 
There were so many lessons in their nature 
work. The first flower brought in was the 
violet. Some called it "Johnny-jump-up." 
They studied the plant life, the different 
varieties of violets, their color,and their uses. 
Tom Baker asked, " Why are plants or blos- 
soms of different colors ? " The teacher told 
him the color was to attract the insects to the 
blossoms. In talking of the use of the violet 
little Mary Jones said, " My sister has violet 
perfume." 

From this and other conversation lessons, 
they came to the conclusion that some flowers 
give fragrance and beauty only, while others 
give us fruits, medicines, and even clothing. 

Another flower that comes early and stays 
late is the clover blossom. This was a flower 
so plentiful that every child could have one, 
and as a result many things were learned 
about the clover; but what seemed to impress 
them most was that it slept at night. The 
leaf as well as the blossom occasioned com- 
ment, and when little James brought a four- 
leaf clover, excitement ran high; Miss King- 
wood read them that beautiful poem 



114 Mary Kingwood^s School 

"the four-leaf clover." 

One leaf is for hope and one is for faith, 

And one is for love, you know, 
And God put another one in for luck, 

If you search you will find where they grow. 

They asked to have it read and re-read, and 
finally all memorized it. 

True to nature, April brought buds ; May, 
leaves ; June, flovrers, and the flow^ers brought 
their companions, bees and butterflies. 
There seemed so much to talk about that the 
days were far too short. Daisies and roses 
were other flowers brought during the month, 
and Miss Kingwood did not think it was too 
late to learn to sing " Where Do All the Dais- 
ies Go ? " And she read them that interesting 
little story of Andersen's "The Daisy," 
Some one asked if the flower's work was done 
when it fades, and this gave opportunity for 
a simple explanation of the purpose of vege- 
table life, and never was Miss Kingwood 's 
power better shown than in this talk to show 
that the perfect plant must bring forth seed, 
which, when planted and nourished, would 
bring forth seed again by passing through 
the stages which they had noted in their 
study of the plant. 

Each child was permitted to tell his or her 
favorite flowers, and when they entered upon 



The Month of Roses 115 

the discussion of the mission of the flowers 
or blossom, one timid Httle tot suggested that 
flowers make the world bright and beautiful 
and people happy. In these hours of com- 
munion with and about the flowers, they 
really got into the spirit of June. 

The fourteenth day of the month brought 
**Flag Day," and these little ones, some of 
them only six years old, joined in three 
hearty cheers for " Old Glory," and mightily 
enjoyed the story of Betsy Ross and the first 
flag, and the younger ones seemed to get into 
the spirit of the day as freely as the older 
ones. 

One of the poems in their readers was the 
charming httle poem, "Bed in Summer," by 
Robert Louis Stevenson. This they read 
and greatly enjoyed, and the manner in 
which they read it indicated that it expressed 
the experience of every one of them. 

x^gain and again in her self-examination. 
Miss Kingwood would wonder if she were 
leading these children aright, and she would 
say to herself, " What have I to show for this 
year's work.^" But she knew that after all 
success in its true sense is not measurable 
at the end of ten months, especially in a 
primary school. The work of these first ten 
months is only the beginning, but it is the 



Ii6 Mary Kingwood^s School 

foundation for a whole school life, and what 
is done at the beginning can only be meas- 
ured at the end, but if the teacher feel it her 
duty to radiate a loving, sympathetic nature, 
for the benefiting of humanity, and do that 
duty, she will also feel that in a measure, at 
least, she has been successful. 

Looking to the close of school, the princi- 
pal announced that sometime during the 
month there would be an educational meet- 
ing at which the teachers would hold a con- 
ference to review the work of the term and 
to mark out lines of thought relative to the 
next year's work. At this conference he 
asked Miss Kingwood to give an outline of 
her philosophy of teaching. The principal, 
in a very kindly, encouraging manner, ob- 
served that they had all been helped by Miss 
Kingwood 's work, and that it was the unan- 
imous request of the teachers that she tell 
them the motives that carried her forward 
so well with her teaching. In a most gra- 
cious manner Miss Kingwood responded by 
saying: 

" Until the principal asked me to tell you 
about my motives, I had not stopped to 
think what they might be. I am sure I never 
expected to be asked to tell my associates 
what should be done. I have always been 



The Month of Roses 1 17 

anxious to think the school all the way 
through from the first primary to the high 
school, and that is why I asked permission 
to visit the other rooms. I wanted to imag- 
ine every one of my pupils as he or she went 
through the respective grades. I have tried 
to be free in the thought that in the elemen- 
tary school the greater portion of the child's 
study is the process of thinking individuals, 
but I have long felt that it is more important 
for the child to think the image of the object 
when the object is absent, than it is to think 
the object when it is present to the senses. So 
my work is largely planned to have each 
child the possessor of a well-trained memory. 
But the memory of images is of little value 
unless it is also stored with true precepts, 
right sentiments, and high determination. 
I think that experiences which make for the 
growing life into better and better life are the 
most important phases of the school life. 
The child explores new fields by means of 
experiences of the past used in memory as 
interpreting means, and it seems to me that 
in every new experience the new must be 
explained by the old, and believing this, I try 
to have every act of the pupil make for larger 
life by way of taking out of the unknown 
some new thing and making it a part of him- 



Il8 Mary Kingwood's School 

self. To do this I try to make every day's 
work a preparation for the next day's work, 
every week's work a preparation for the next 
week, and every month a preparation for the 
next month, and so it must follow that every 
year's work must simply be the work of the 
next, only in a lower degree. I mean that 
something of all that is taught in the second 
year must be taught in the first, and so on 
throughout the entire school course. Every 
lesson in number, every geography lesson, 
every poem memorized, and in fact, every- 
thing I do is an effort to outline each suc- 
ceeding year's work, then, when I have done, 
I feel that I have given every child a start in 
the whole school course. I hope I have not 
failed." 

This was a clear statement of her creed. 
It had an influence on those assembled, for 
those present knew that Miss Kingwood had 
not failed. 

The closing exercises of the school were 
very simple. They consisted of recitations 
and songs, but during the exercises there was 
a something — a medium — that seemed to 
carry a message from Miss Kingwood to each 
little heart, and she in return received a reply, 
and when "good-byes" were said, both 
teacher and pupils felt in fullest measure the 



The Month of Roses 1 19 

sadness of parting from those we love. The 
closing moment had come. Miss Kingwood 
could not speak. Her heart was full to 
overflowing. In her final self-examination 
in this closing hour, she looked into the elo- 
quent eyes of the httle ones and trusted that 
strength had been given her, that through 
her striving, some unfortunate tendency had 
been checked, some evil habit corrected, 
some soul awakened, some eye opened to 
beauty, some lonely heart comforted, and in 
those eyes she believed that she could read 
that she had been enabled so to adjust the 
environment, both material and spiritual, 
of these children, that they in turn had been 
enabled to set up for themselves ideals which 
had grown and would continue to grow in 
beauty and strength, and which, finally, in 
most beautiful lives, though perhaps un- 
known to her, would set the seal of approval 
on her efforts. 

Then, when they had all gone and the 
presence of this teacher was no longer with 
me, I said, "After all, it is the personal in- 
fluence of the teacher that counts most with 
the pupil. It is the teacher's character, her 
dominant personality, which determines the 
success or failure of every school year." 
The End. 



NOV 5 1906 



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